


Hurts Like Hell

by ScaliaFics94



Category: Scream (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-21
Updated: 2016-11-28
Packaged: 2018-07-16 10:54:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 19
Words: 140,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7265212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScaliaFics94/pseuds/ScaliaFics94
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pre 2x04: Brooke is trying to figure things out with Jake, but his no call no show act is getting tired. When Noah invites her to the movies the last person she wants to see is Stavo, but there he is looking like a Grade A Creep. But a hot creep. When Brooke gets a present the next morning she's realizes there's a new killer in town. (BROOKE X STAVO) Other characters welcomed :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Hey yall! I just wanted to say I totally shipped Brooke and Jake in season one and was looking forward to seeing them flourish in season two, but sadly he had to die!!!! For some reason I jumped straight into shipping Stavo and Brooke, maybe to cover up all the tears over Jake’s death. I was kind of hoping that Jake was red herring and his death was staged to look real but he was actually helping the killer, but sadly he dropped from the ceiling and his guts are still out...so he’s not working with the killer- I think it’s Kieran or Noah. Anyway, how hot is Stavo? He’s so obviously not the killer and he’s working on a comic book of the Lakewood Six. A lot of fans think that and it makes sense cuz he’s an artist. I ship it. Obviously yall do to or you wouldn’t be reading this :) 

The song for this fic is Fleurie - Hurts Like Hell

 

Everyone underestimated me. My dad. My school. My friends. Jake. Everyone thought they knew me. They thought Brooke Maddox was a ditzy, rich, and blonde skank. They’d be partly right. I was blonde. I was skanky, but aren’t we past slutshaming? I was a lot of things, but ditzy wasn’t one of them.  
I scrolled through my texts, hoping Jake would magically text me, but he was being a grade A ass lately.  
Maybe it was my fault. Maybe I should've given him the benefit of the doubt at the pool. He’d been there for me more than anyone and those feelings don't just go away. He loved me. He didn't think I heard him, but I did. Besides, I didn't have to hear him say it for it to be obvious. He’d kill himself trying to prove himself to me. We’d been friends my whole life. And there wasn’t the Lakewood Six without Jake. As frat boy as he was he was still a sweetheart. My sweetheart.  
As I locked my phone with a huff I remembered I was mad at him. Whatever.  
I wasn’t going to sit around on a Friday night and mope over a guy.  
Noah’s face popped up on my screen. “Hey,” I greeted.  
“You up for a movie?”  
My eyes lifted to the mirror at the sad sad girl waiting on a guy to make her feel happy. Not anymore.  
I nodded to myself in agreement. “Sure.”  
An hour later I walked arm and arm with Zoey until we stood in front of Noah. And Stavo.  
I mentally and verbally sighed. “Who invited the new creep in town?” I looked at Noah. “Is it too much to ask to get a Stavo free afternoon?”  
He gave me a smirk. “Sorry, not on the menu.”  
Zoey and Noah laughed.  
I gave a fake smile as I pushed forward.  
The clusterfuck of a situation with Seth happened and the last thing I expected to happen was for Stavo to kiss me. Like really? Did there have to be tongue?  
With his hand on my hip a heatwave danced up my side. His lips took hold of mine again, and for a second, I thought about leaning into it. When he pulled away his brown eyes grabbed ahold of mine as he wore a smirk.  
For a second, my eyes fell to those lips, and then I looked back to Seth.  
“My love life is to be determined, Mr. Branson.”  
Stavo’s big and warm hand rested on my hip. Normally, I’d be repulsed, but I was actually grateful for him in this moment because seeing Seth after everything that happened brought back the memories and the feelings we shared. I thought he cared about me, but he was just slightly obsessed with me.  
I was done letting men define me.  
“Goodbye, Mr. Branson.”  
I stared at him for a moment longer, letting go of anything else I could've felt for him, and then I headed out of the theater.  
Everyone came after me.  
“Do you want to call it a night?” Noah asked with concern in his voice.  
I saw the disappointment in Zoey’s face. Her little crush on Noah was the cutest. Far be it from me to stand in the way of puppy love.  
My hand waved it off. “You guys go see the movie.” My eyes slid to Stavo's, then back to Noah's. “I'll be fine.” I offered a sheepish grin.  
“Are you sure?” Zoey asked with a furrowed brow.  
I nodded. “Yeah,” I grinned, but it didn't reach my eyes. “I'll probably just call Jake and yell at him, so...”  
I wasn't going to, but better them think that than the alternative; eating nice cream and watching Pretty Little Liars.  
“Kay, be careful.” Noah held out his fist for me to pound.  
His adorkableness made me happier.  
I fistbumped him. “Will do.”  
Zoey waved. “Bye.” She said with a twinge of sadness in her voice.  
I waved back. I gave Stavo a parting nod in appreciation for his help a few minutes ago.  
I was almost to my car when I heard, “Hey, wait up.”  
My eyes glanced over my shoulder to see Stavo running after me.  
“Yeah?” I questioned with an expectant look.  
“You weren't going to leave me alone with them were you? Not fun being a third wheel.”  
My arms folded across my chest. “Technically, you were a fourth wheel because no one likes you.”  
His brow lifted. “Oh, is that why you kissed me back?”  
A small flush ran over my face. “I did not.” Had I?  
“We were playing tonsil hockey in front of your ex teacher/boyfriend. I think you can allow yourself to trust me a little bit now. I know that's a problem for you.”  
I stilled and leveled him with a glare. “Remember when I said you don’t anything about the Lakewood Six? That meant stop trying to figure us out. Stop trying to get to know us.”  
He took a step forward which reminded me of how short I was. “What are you afraid of?” His brown eyes gazed into mine. “That someone would see that you’re a little broken? Guess what, we’re all broken.”  
A corner of my mouth tugged up in wry a half grin. “Well, I’m a lot broken, so stop trying to puzzle me back together like you know me.”  
He sighed as he stared above my head, then looked back down at me. “What if I like broken?”  
“Even if I didn’t think you were a creep, I’m with Jake.”  
“Not from where I’m standing. Where has he been the last few days?”  
I took a step toward him and placed my hand on his chest. Our eyes locked.  
“Let me put it this way, if a new killer started killing off all of my friends again and you were the last person left, not even then.” I lightly shoved him back.  
A lazy yet cocky grin danced on his lips. “Better get home.” He said.  
I glanced at him as I walked to unlock my car door.  
“There might be a killer on the loose.” He did the creepy slow killer wave. “Maybe I should follow you home?”  
“Remember when I called you creepy?”  
He tilted his head back, which put his adam’s apple on display. “Remember when I said you liked it?”  
Despite myself, I let a soft grin play on my lips. “Night, Stavo.”  
I dipped into my car before we could have anymore unwarranted exchanges. Before I pulled off I checked my messages again. Nothing from Jake. At first I thought about driving out of Lakewood and never coming back, but I ended up driving circles around town until after ten.  
When I got home the last person I wanted to see was my dad. His No Jake attitude made it really hard to be around, more so than before. So here he was in the kitchen, sitting at the island in his pajamas with a permanently furrowed brow.  
“Hi, daddy.”  
I opened the fridge for a bottle water.  
“Brooke, honey,” He sighed. “I want to talk to you about you and your friends.”  
I turned to him. “The Lakewood Six?”  
His eyes rolled. “Are people still calling you guys that?”  
I shrugged while I leaned against the counter adjacent to him.  
“Anyway, you know we increased the police force and security at school. I just want to know if you and your friends feel safer?”  
“Yeah, I guess. It’s not like there’s another killer in town.”  
He nodded. “Okay, sweetie. You let me know if you ever feel unsafe again or march down to the precinct.”  
I scoffed. “Not likely. Riley died on top of the police station. The last Sheriff was murdered. And if Sheriff Acosta is anything like his son I won’t be making another trip down to Creepville.”  
He looked at me with concerned eyes. “Gustavo? Did he do something to you?”  
I thought back to the impromptu kiss back at the theater for Seth’s benefit. Really, it wasn’t a hero's move, but a cheap feel up. Still, he didn’t have to act protective, but he did. So maybe I should ease up on him. Even so, he was eerily creepy...but kind of hot.  
My head shook. “No, he’s just obsessed with us like everyone else. No biggie.”  
“Alright,” He patted my shoulder. “I’m going to bed. I have a meeting in the morning.”  
“But it’s Saturday. You said you would start going to see Mom with me.”  
His faux disappointment rolled off of him. “I know. I’m sorry. This is an important meeting, honey. The PTA wants to plan an annual vigil to your friends, to everyone we lost in the Piper Shaw killings. If I don’t attend then it will send the wrong message. I’m not sure how long I’ll be tied up in that.”  
Part of me wondered if he was secretly glad all of that happened because he was able to get out of seeing Mom. Did he ever love her? If he did how could he just leave her there? Honestly, what did I expect?  
I pushed off the counter. “Whatever.”  
After changing into something more comfortable I plopped into bed with a sigh. “What am I doing?”  
My phone dinged.  
Jake <3: Next time you kiss another guy I’ll cut his lips off.  
I fought a smile, but it won out. He finally texted me. A few moments later my smile fell. He finally texted me after days if cryptic dumbass Jake responses. Asshole.  
Me: You cut up Stavo and I’ll cut something of yours off.  
This was the day. I actually defended Stavo. Stavo. Well, in my defense he was a killer kisser.  
Jake <3: Noted, babe  
Annoyed, I was about to click my phone off, but I received another text from an unknown number: Did you make it home safe? - Stavo  
A little taken aback, I chuckled.  
Me: Yes. Did Noah give you my number?  
Him: No. Zoey. A thanks for leaving her alone with Noah  
Him: Are you thinking about your deadbeat boyfriend or our kiss?  
My eyes rolled. He was so cocky and had no reason to be. Okay, maybe he did. But his hotness didn’t cancel out the creepy.  
Me: Neither. I’m going to bed. Try not to do anything creepy while I’m asleep.  
Him: Noted  
For some reason I saved his number because I had a feeling he’d harass me again. Knowing who’s harassing you is better than not knowing, right?  
I left it at that and let my mind drift to better things.  
When I woke the next morning I felt sticky with sweat. My eyes scanned my room until I realized one of my windows were open. Did I open it in the night? Probably, but I couldn’t remember ever getting up.  
I pulled it down and locked it.  
My phone dinged. When would unknown numbers stop harassing me?  
It read: Left you a present on the desk.  
My eyes went to my dresser, there was a white box sitting on it.  
Did my dad get a new number again?  
Another text popped up on the screen from the same number: No mas Stavo!  
A grin tugged at my mouth. If Jake wanted to bribe me...it might work. It wasn’t like I liked Stavo anyway.  
I walked over to my dresser and opened the box. A scream clawed its way out of my throat as the bloody box fell to the floor. Along with a pair of lips. Stavo’s lips. 

 

A/N: I plan to make this a multichapter fic so look out yall. Please leave a comment/review :) Have a nice day!


	2. I Want To Know

The song for this chapter is Kongos - I Want To Know

I looked away from the box as my back hit the wall. No, this wasn't happening. I rubbed my hands over my eyes. This had to be a dream because we survived the killings. It couldn't happen again. Could it?

My eyes focused on the bloody lips on the floor. Stavo's lips. They were his, weren't they?

My dad bursted into my room with a gun. "Brooke, what's wrong?" He caught sight of the gift on the floor. "Oh my Lord."

Tears pricked my eyes, but I blinked them away.

My dad set the gun down and rushed to my side. "Honey, are you alright?"

"Yeah..."

"I'm going to call Sheriff Acosta." He headed for the door.

Panic clawed its way out of me. "No!"

The Sheriff couldn't find out his son was dead, not like this. But what way would be better? 'Hey, your son is dead and his lips are on my floor. Send help.'.

"Brooke?"

I scrambled for my phone. "Just give me a minute."

I scrolled through my texts. Hake said he'd cut off Stavo's lips as a warning, but I thought he was just being jealous. Jake was a lot of things, but he wasn't a psycho killer. My mind went through our conversations and his nonexistence existence since our fight. I hadn't seen him once, no one has.

Worry ebbed in me.

"Brooke, I'm calling the police!"

I whipped around. "Daddy, just give me a second!" I called Stavo's phone, but it went straight to voicemail, so I sent him a quick text.

Me: Something freaky happened. Please let me know if you're okay! - Brooke

"What are you doing on your phone? Are you texting Jake? We don't have time for this."

Unknown: Did you like my present?

Me: Who the hell is this?!

Unknown: I'm the one who's going to lift the mask.

The mask? The Brandon James mask? Someone was really doing this again?

"Get dressed, sweetheart." He picked up the lips with a tissue and put them back into the box. "We're going to the precinct.

My dad shoved open the door with a strong grip on my arm. "Don't be scared, Brooke."

Easier said than done.

One of my friends was dead. I didn't know where the hell Jake was. And apparently there was a new killer in town.

My eyes went to the tall ceiling, the very spot that Riley died and my heart broke all over again.

Since we left the house I've been glued to my phone, hopeful that Stavo or Jake would text me back. I debated whether or not to send a group text out about a new killer, but what if it was just a really good prank? But those lips were so real and that blood wasn't fake.

A cold sweat broke out on my skin.

This couldn't be happening again.

"Is Sheriff Acosta in his office?" My dad asked the receptionist.

My head spun. This wasn't happening. I didn't really even like Stavo, but I didn't want him dead. I didn't want anyone dead.

My phone dinged. My heart jumped into my throat.

Unknown: The Sheriff can't stop what's coming. See you soon, Brooke.

My phone all of a sudden felt too heavy to hold, it slid to the floor.

"Brooke?" My dad looked back at me.

Air didn't want to fill my lungs.

"Get her some water." My dad insisted.

I gasped in and out, trying to calm myself down, but it didn't work.

"Get the Sheriff!"

What felt like hours later the Sheriff stood in front of us with a worried brow.

"Mayor, Brooke. What happened?"

Someone handed me a styrofoam cup of water, but it shook in my hand. My eyes slid to the bag my dad carried with the box in it.

"Miguel, this was left in Brooke's room. She found it this morning."

Sheriff Acosta opened the box with curious eyes, then let it drop to his side. His hand rubbed at his temple. "Come into my office."

My dad helped me up. We walked to the office, but I didn't feel as if I was walking. I feltl ike I was floating.

"What happened?" Sheriff Acosta asked once he closed his door.

"I don't know." My chin wobbled. "I woke up and my window was open. I got a text from an unknown number it said I had a present.. I just assumed it was from Jake. We've been so rocky the last few days I thought he was trying to make it up to me."

He sat on his desk. "Alright. Do you want to file a report?"

"Are you kidding me? Of course we're filing a report. Someone came into my house and put that on my daughter's desk."

My eyes slid to my dad out of the corner of my eye. I never told him that the box was on my desk, it was on the floor by my bed when he came into my room. My dad had his shady moments, but he couldn't be involved in this, could he?

"Brooke," Sheriff Acosta pointed at me. "This is your decision."

I nodded.

There wasn't a choice. Or maybe there was. For a second, let's say I don't filed the report and someone else dies. What if we ban together this time? What if we actually fought instead of running? What if we were a team? But what if I file the report and they actually caught this guy before anyone else could die?

"Sweetheart, you can do this." My dad urged.

I looked down at my phone with a huff, then nodded. "Do it."

After we filed the report my dad asked me to sit outside the office while they talked privately. When the Sheriff asked if I had an idea of who's lips they were I froze up. I couldn't say it. Stavo was dead and I couldn't tell him. He didn't deserve to find out from a lab that his son was dead.

I rose from the bench with the courage to deliver the news. I blew out a heavy breath. I could do this.

"Brooke?"

My eyes saw him walk a few paces toward me, but my mind didn't believe it.

"You're here." I muttered. "You're alive."

Stavo closed the distance between us. "You're shaking. Are you okay?"

My eyes fell on his lips, which was very much intact. I couldn't stop my hand from touching them.

He stilled. "Uh, is there something on my face?"

"Just your lips." I grinned out of relief.

He stepped out of my touch. "Brooke, are you feeling okay?"

Wow. I was now the creepy one.

I pointed back to his dad's office.

"I-uh..." I sat down on the bench.

He sat down next to me.

"Ever since Piper died people have been harassing us; the Lakewood Six. Really it's just a bunch of pranks, but someone isn't joking around anymore." I gave him my phone with the messages from the killer on display.

He looked at me with a furrowed brow. "I don't understand."

I showed him Jake's messages.

"I thought Jake was just being Jake."

He shook his head. "I still don't understand."

My body turned to his. "Someone came into my room while I was asleep and put a box of lips on my desk. I just assumed it was yours." My eyes went to his mouth again, then back up to his brown eyes. "And you didn't answer your phone." My eyes fell to my lap. "I know we're not friends really, but it would suck if I have to go to your funeral." I looked up at him.

He looked at me with a calm gaze, considerably less creepy than last night.

This kiss popped into my head. I didn't want it to happen then, but I still felt it.

"That may be the nicest thing you've said to me." He wore a lazy grin.

It looked good on him.

"Well, I like my creeps alive."

He laughed. "Well, I'll try to be less creepy from now on."

A grin played on my lips.

We stared at each other in silence, an awkward tension filled the air.

He froze. "Did you tell my dad that those were my lips?"

"No. I couldn't." I cleared my throat. "This wouldn't have happened if you answered me back." I playfully smacked his chest.

"Sorry, I turned my phone off. I had something to take care of and I didn't want any interruptions. Didn't mean to worry you."

Kind of weird, but I guess he was entitled to his privacy.

I let out a sigh. "Now, I have to tell my friends that there's another killer on the loose." I gave a wry smile. "That should go over great."

He leaned forward on his knees, then looked at me. "Do you have any leads? How well do you really know your friends?"

I gave him raised brow. "Seriously? You're questioning the Lakewood Six? I would've thought you'd be excited about all this sense you're our biggest fanboy." I crossed my legs and turned my head away from him.

"Are you telling me that after Piper weaseled her way into Emma's life you're not the least bit suspicious or paranoid?"

"I don't like you, do I?" I cut my eye at him. "Maybe you're the killer."

He rose to his feet, his dark eyes looked down on me. "Maybe, but ask yourself how the killer knew what Jake said to you."

The thought had replayed in my mind over and over. I just didn't have the answer for that particular theory.

"Are you saying that Jake is the killer?"

He shrugged. "We can't put it past anyone, can we?"

Great. Now he was back to creeping me out.

He glanced at his dad's office, then sighed. "I'm out of here. Tell my dad I'm going back home." He started for the door.

I shot up. "Wait," I went after him.

He looked at me with curious brown eyes.

"Maybe you shouldn't be alone. If this really isn't another prank then someone was murdered," I whispered so only he could hear. "And that means the killer wants you dead. They want all of us dead. Sticking together seems smart, right?"

"And here I thought you just wanted to hang out with me."

I made a face. "Not really."

"Whatever you got to tell yourself."

We pushed through the exit.

My eyes rolled.

The ride to his house was extremely awkward, but I got through it by burying my face into my phone. Stavo didn't ask anymore questions or make any comments, which I was grateful for. It was almost nine am so no one was awake on a Saturday.

"So why were you going to the station?"

I locked my phone after the failed attempts to get my friends up.

"My dad's overprotective. He just wants to keep an eye on me, but that's been kicked into overdrive since we moved here. I guess he has a reason to be worried now." He turned a corner, his bicep stretched his sleeve tight over his arm. Jake didn't have arms like that.

"So you have to be there whenever you're not at school? That's kind of dramatic."

"Yeah, well, I got into some trouble back in Phoenix. We have an agreement that if I stay out of trouble he'll still pay for my college tuition. Without it I'm screwed."

My eyes focused on his lips as his talked. Now that there were normal words coming out of it i didn't see how I hadn't noticed how kissable they were before. Well, sexy can be masked by creepy any day.

"What kind of trouble?"

He glanced at me, then drove up his driveway. "The kind that could've ended in a long rep sheet if my dad wasn't on the force." He got out of the car.

I followed him into his house. It was nice, not as nice as mine, but still nice. It didn't scream 'I'm the creepy new guy' but it screamed 'not everything is as it seems'

If I were being totally honest I was a little paranoid of anybody I didn't know. Stavo just happened to fit the new creepy kid bill, but that didn't mean he was a bad guy or the killer. The idea was kind of laughable.

"You hungry? I can make you some breakfast." He lead me to the kitchen.

I sat down at the island. "You know how to cook?"

He gave me a smirk. "I'm latino. Of course I know how to cook."

I let out a breathy laugh. " Okay, do your worst." I challenged.

He put a bowl of water in the microwave, then turned back to me, his elbows leaned on the island. "So why you?"

My brow rose. "Huh?"

"Why is this new killer targeting you first? Who have you pissed off lately?"

I shrugged. "I don't know."

"You're going to have to do better than I don't know if you want to figure this out."

Our eyes locked. "Everyone loves me, I don't have any enemies."

He made a face. "Obviously not. Someone wants to play this sick game with you and they're getting off on it. Who fits that description?"

"Besides you or Noah...everyone obsessed with us." I layed my head on the counter. "Why is this happening again?"

The microwave beeped. I heard him moving around the kitchen, but I didn't know what he was doing.

"Bon apetit." He sat the bowl in front of me.

I looked up to see a bowl of instant oatmeal. Despite my current worried state, I laughed. "Gee, this looks delicious."

He grinned. "Thank you."

With the smile still on my face, I asked him, "Do you always cook girls you bring home quality meals like this?"

"Only when I'm trying to impress them." He stared at me in that unwavering way of his.

I was certain there was a blush on my face.

"I'm sorry you had to move here because of us." I admitted. "I know we've all been giving you a hard time. Don't get me wrong, you're still a creep, but I can kind of understand why you want to understand why you're entire life was uprooted because of us."

He nodded. "Thank you."

"With that said, you don't have to be this loner guy. It doesn't help the creepy. Make some friends. Join the anime club or something."

One side of his mouth raised. "I figure if I stay to myself than I won't get into any trouble. Going to Art school is really really important to me, I don't want to do anything to mess that up."

I could understand that. He wasn't a bad guy afterall. Just really misunderstood.

I ate a spoonful of the oatmeal.

"Besides, I like to keep to myself nowadays. Gives me more time to focus on my art."

"Can I see some? You're always drawing on your tablet or whatever."

He gave a small laugh. "Yeah, I'll be right back."

While he was gone I finished up the rest of my oatmeal as I went through my phone. Five minutes had gone by. Maybe he was just really meticulous and wanted to show me his best work. I sent out another group message.

Me: Will you lazy asses answer your damn phones! S.O.S.

My fingers tapped on the counter as I waited another five minutes.

"Stavo?" I called out as I swiveled in my chair.

Silence filled the house.

I let out a sigh. "If you're trying to scare me it won't work."

More silence.

With a roll of my eyes I jumped off the seat and walked down the hall. I wasn't sure which room was his, but it had to be upstairs.

"Hello?"

If he was playing a joke I'd kick him in the nads.

"This isn't funny, you creep."

I reached the top of the stairs and decided to go left. The first door was an empty bathroom. I saw some brown wall art and figured Stavo couldn't be far from art. The door across from it was ajar.

"Stavo, really?"

The desk lamps were on, but there was no one in here.

I blew out a sigh. Dick.

The lights flickered until they shut off.

"Stavo!"

His wall art caught my attention. They were so detailed. So professional. I walked over to his desk and picked up the sketches. These were random. Flies, pigs, a hand holding a scalpel, and girl with her head tilted back. Even though they were creepy they were still nice.

I heard a creak from down the hall. "Stavo, I'm in your room."

A box on his desk caught my attention. I peered inside it. Fear froze me in place. A Brandon James mask. What was he doing with a Brandon James mask?

The door eased open. Stavo stood in the doorway. "I didn't want you to find that yet." He walked into his room and shut the door behind him.

Panic filled me. My breathing became labored as I stared at him with wide eyes.

A/N: Thanks for reading yall! Please please please leave a comment or review and let me know what you think or if you want to talk about the show :)


	3. Doing It To Death

The song for this chapter is The Kills - Doing It To Death

I backed away from him. "What are you doing?"

He raised a cautious hand as he neared me. "Brooke, it's not what it looks like."

I circled the room with the mask in my hand. "Not what it looks like?" I demanded. I threw the mask at him. "Are you fucking kidding me, Stavo?"

He tried to near me, but I warned him off.

"It looks like you're the killer." I let out a half crazed chuckle. If I was about to die I wanted answers. "What was your plan? To lure me up here and just off me?"

He scratched the back of his head, then rubbed his hands over his face.

I inched towards the door. Even though I wouldn't outrun him I had to try.

His eyes fell on me and narrowed. "No, that's not what I was planning to do." He turned to his desk and began rifling through papers.

Now or never.

I jerked open the door then dashed down the hall.

"Brooke!" He yelled.

My feet took the stairs two at a time, but ultimately tripping me up so that I tumbled down the last few and landed on my back with a thud. My head throbbed from hitting the wood floor. I groaned in pain.

"Brooke, are you okay?" Stavo stood at the top of the stair case.

"Stay away from me!" I cried. "I trusted you." Tears filled my eyes.

"Let me call an ambulance." He reached for his phone. "It's not what you think, I promise."

I rose on shaky legs, prepared to run for the exit when something black caught my attention.

There was a man in the hallway dressed in the same black cape Piper had and a Brandon James mask.

Stavo put his phone to his ear.

"Oh my God," I panicked. "Stavo, look out!" I yelled.

The killer brought down a pair of industrial scissors into Stavo's back.

"No!"

He stilled as the shock and pain kicked in, his brown eyes found mine. "Run." He fell to the floor as blood pooled out of his mouth.

The killer pointed at me, then booked it down the stairs after me.

Fuck.

Adrenaline kicked in and I ran through the house, a house I didn't know at all. If I called anyone I would get too distracted and slow my pace. I had to find a place to hide.

I glanced behind me, the killer stopped in the hallway, he looked both ways before he spotted me. A scream left me as I ran into the living room. Why hadn't I ran to the kitchen where the knives were?

Bravely, I stood in the middle of the living room, rapidly looking around me. He should've been here by now. He was trying to scare me. Stavo was right, he was getting off on my fear. He just killed Stavo in front of me like it was nothing. My heart broke for the misunderstood kid that didn't deserve to die because of me. He wanted to kill me, so where was he?

My eyes searched the room carefully as I neared the couch to peer into the next room. No sign of him. I turned around to see the killer charging me. I jumped over the couch, but my shoe hooked on the back, so I smacked into the floor.

A sudden and sharp pain came from my calve. I looked back to see the pair of scissors in the killer's hand as he pulled it away from my leg.

"Ahhhh!" I screamed to the top of my lungs.

The blood trickled out of the wound and onto the floor. I quickly pulled my foot to me then tried to stand. "You psychotic bitch!"

He disappeared.

A breath of relief escaped me, but only for a second. My eyes found my calve. I had to stop the bleeding or I'd pass out, then I'd definitely be dead. I tore off my green top and tied it around my leg as tight as I could manage. Anger suddenly filled me.

How much more could I take before the rest of me broke into pieces? I didn't want to be the victim anymore. I couldn't be.

My eyes searched my surroundings. I stood, only to let out a cry as pain shot through my leg.

Get it together. Toughen up. This is kill or be killed. Right?

My hand reached for a candleholder. It was something.

With the candleholder ready to swing I limped forward. My head spun a little, must be the bloodloss.

The killer wanted to play this sick game of cat and mouse. Well, let's play.

"Show yourself!" I voiced boldly while I looked around. "Come on!"

"So you can try to bash my head in with that candleholder?" He used the voice changer app that sent a chill down my spine.

I looked for a sign of him, but couldn't find him, so I inched towards where I knew the kitchen was.

"You're a coward, just like Piper was. She ended up dead."

"It won't be that easy, Brooke."

I ran the rest of the way to the kitchen and grabbed a knife from the stand. I set the candlestick down as I backed into the corner of the counter. My fingers dialed 911, then I shoved it into my back pocket so they'd hear everything, but muted their voice so the killer wouldn't hear. I tucked the knife into the back of my pants, pulled my shirt over it, then picked up the candlestick.

"Now you're the one hiding! I thought you did all of this because you wanted me dead! Did you put that mask in Stavo's room, too?" I walked a few paces so I was in the middle of the room.

He chuckled. "They'll never get here in time."

I whipped around to find the killer a few feet in front of me. I held the candleholder between us with a strong grip. I noticed he wasn't holding a phone so that meant he used some sort of device over his mouth. That would be cool if he wasn't trying to kill me.

"Why are you doing this? What did I ever do to you?"

He took a step forward.

I hobbled back, the pain in my leg almost got the best of me. My jaw hardened.

"Why?!"

"Don't you know, Brooke? It's scarier when they don't have a motive." He lunged for me.

Fear spiked in me, but I swung the candleholder until it hit some flesh.

The killer yanked it from me, his gloved hand slapped me back a few feet. I fell into the wall. I quickly placed my back against it. He raised the pair of scissors at me as my hand grabbed ahold of the knife behind my back. I dipped down low and shoved the knife into his stomach as hard as I could.

He stilled, but grabbed onto the handle.

Sirens blared from nearby and it was the sweetest sound I thought I'd ever heard.

"I guess we'll have to finish this later." I smirked as I rose to my feet.

He threw the scissors at me, I ducked, and when I looked up he was gone.

I pulled my phone from my pocket and ended the call. With a sigh, I limped forward. The sirens were getting closer. This was over for today. All I wanted to do was soak in my tub.

The fact that Stavo was dead upstairs smacked me in the face.

I crawled up the stairs as fast as I could with my wounded leg. He didn't move, but I poked his body anyway. A stinging regret filled me. I never should've tagged along with him. We never should've left the station.

"Stavo, I'm so sorry." I cried. "This is my fault." My head hung low in shame.

A hand reached up and wiped my tears away. "I'm okay." I looked up and met his brown eyes.

"You're not dead?" Tears streamed down my face. "But I saw him stab you." I blubbered.

He sat up, his skin turned a pale complexion.

I didn't care if it wasn't attractive, I had earned the right to ugly cry in front of him. And he had earned the right to see it.

"It's not your fault, Brooke." He pulled me to him.

This was all wrong. This shouldn't have been our first embrace if we were to even have one, but those thoughts went out the window as I realized how safe I felt in his arms.

The police busted into the house. "Police! Where are you?"

"Up here!" Stavo yelled while he held me.

"Brooke!" My dad called me.

Shit. I totally forgot that I left him at the station with Stavo's dad.

I pulled away. "Daddy,"

He ran up the stairs and hugged me. "Oh, sweetheart. I'm so glad you're okay."

"Stavo!" The Sheriff rushed to his son. "Get the medics!" He told one of his officers. The rest S.W.A.T teamed the house.

"What did this person do to you?" My dad demanded.

"My leg needs some attention, but I'm fine, daddy." My eyes went to Stavo hugging his dad and my heart softened even more. "I was worried about Stavo. He's hurt bad."

He turned his brown eyes on me. "I just need stitches or something. I told you, I'm fine..." He looked even paler than a minute ago. His eyes fluttered as he leaned to the side. His dad caught him.

"Let's get you kids to the hospital." Sheriff Acosta suggested. He picked up his son, carried him to the ambulance where they put him on a stretcher.

"Wait," I stepped forward. "Can I ride with him in the back?"

The Sheriff nodded at the medics.

"Brooke, maybe you should take your own ambulance. Your leg needs attention as soon as possible." My dad insisted, his hand rested on my shoulder.

I pulled away. "I'm fine, daddy. It's just a ride."

The lady medic helped me up into the back. "I'll take care of her." She gave a reassuring smile to my dad.

He nodded. "Okay. I'll be riding behind you. I love you, sweetheart."

"Love you, too." I waved.

The lady medic did as she promised and worked her magic on my calve. I watched the other one hook up Stavo to some machine and put something on his back that required his shirt to me off. My mouth went a little dry at the sight of his tan muscular chest.

Whatever the put in him gave him a little color. His eyes fluttered open, they settled on me.

"Brooke,"

I reached for his hand. "I'm here." I grinned. "You're going to be okay."

The guy medic did something to him and his strong jaw clenched in pain. His hand tightened around mine. As I gazed down at our joined hands I realized how different they were. His was tan. Mine was pale. His was strong and veiny. Mine was weak and dainty. Even though he was a little out of it I still felt considerably safer around him than I did yesterday.

"In case I don't make it," He started. "Just tell me one thing." His eyes found mine. "Did you like my oatmeal?"

I nodded as I laughed, tears once again stung my eyes. "Yeah, I did. And you're going to make it for me again the next time we hang out." I squeezed his hand back.

He wore a lazy grin, which I was sure due to lack of energy this time. "I thought you just didn't want to be alone?"

"I lied."

He grinned before he passed out again.

The lady medic looked at me. "Stavo''s going to be fine, Ms. Maddox."

I nodded.

I questioned how she knew our names, but she was a medic who had to take that sort of information, plus I was the Mayor's daughter and Stavo was the Sheriff's son. It would be weird not to know us in a town this small.

When we arrived to the hospital they wheeled him out. I didn't want to let go of his hand, but unless I layed on top of him I'd have to drop it.

My phone vibrated in my back pocket. It was now going on ten thirty in the morning and Emma was calling me.

"Hey, we're all here," She said.

Everyone mumbled a greeting from our five way call.

"What's your S.O.S?" Noah asked.

I watched as they pushed Stavo through the emergency entrance. My dad slammed his car door shut and rushed to talk to the arriving officers.

I sighed. "There's a new killer in town. They tried to kill me and Stavo." I was suddenly glad that it was only me and him at his house. Thank the Lord they were all lazy asses.

A collective 'What?!' shouted in my ear.

"Are you okay?" Audrey asked.

"Where are you?" Emma demanded.

"Brooke, we're coming to the hospital now." Kieran said.

Paranoia took over. I never said we were at the hospital. But it was as good a guess as any.

I waited in the lobby while my dad talked to the Sheriff in the hall. My dad had his hands on his hips which meant that he meant business. I hoped he wasn't chewing out the Sheriff. This wasn't his fault. His own son was attacked for Christ's sake.

Ten minutes later everyone arrived as breathless as could be. Audrey stood a few feet away in shock while Emma crushed me in a hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay."

I hugged her back. "Me, too."

"Who would be Prom Queen if you were dead?" Noah joked.

Emma smacked his chest.

He turned his eyes on her. "It was a joke. You know, because I'm the comic relief around here."

I grinned.

"Are you okay, Brooke?" Kieran asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, just worried about Stavo."

Audrey sat down beside me. "What happened with Stavo exactly? Did you actually see him and the killer in the same room?" Her eyes were wild.

"Come on, Audrey. You're not still stuck on Stavo being a creep. The killer stabbed him in the back."

"That must've been one sharp pair of scissors." Kieran said as he ran his hand through his hair.

Warning bells went off in my head. How did he know the weapon was scissors?

"I overheard a few officers talking about it on the way in." He supplied.

I nodded. "Yeah, well, he's being taken care of now. I just feel so guilty. He wouldn't have been hurt if I wasn't with him."

"It's not your fault." Emma assured. She rubbed my back.

"Why were you with Stavo at nine in the morning?" Audrey asked.

I motioned for a more secluded corner and relayed the whole story to them. They looked at me with wide eyes filled with regret for not waking up earlier.

"I'm okay, guys. I swear." I promised.

"Do you want to come on The Morgue again?" Noah asked.

Everyone shot him a look.

I laughed. "Sure, Noah." I held out my fist.

He bumped it with his own. "Awesome!" He was already geeking out.

Everyone sat down, but I stood.

"I'm actually going to get a coffee at the vending machine. Anybody want one?"

"I have a shift later, so I'm good." Emma grinned.

Kieran stood. "I'll go with you."

A bead of fear ebbed in me as we walked around the corner to the vending nook.

"So are you really okay?" He asked.

I shrugged. "I have to be."

He nodded. "Who do you think the killer is?"

I slid my debit card into the machine, I pressed the button for a mocha, and turned to him. "Don't know. It could be anyone, I suppose."

He pushed a few quarters in the soda machine. "Well, for what it's worth, I'm glad you're okay. And Stavo, too." He offered a half, which was as good as you'd get from Kieran on most days. He didn't really have a lot to smile about. Besides Emma.

"Thanks. I actually fought back this time. It felt good." I admitted.

He grabbed his soda and set it on top of the machine.

I noticed a small dark spot soaked his dark blue shirt. It looked red. Was that blood?

I grabbed my coffee from the machine and put a lid on it from the corner stack. "I appreciate you guys being here." I offered as real a grin as I could manage.

On the inside I was freaking out. My mind was reaching for details. There was no way Kieran was the killer. He was Kieran. He was my friend. He was all of our friend.

"Of course, we're here for you, Brooke." He patted my shoulder. He headed for the rest of the group.

"Kieran," I grabbed his soda from top of the machine. "You forgot this." I tossed it to him.

He caught it with a wince, his hand went to his stomach.

My eyes widened, but I quickly composed myself.

He looked at me with his distant Kieran look. "Thanks, Brooke." He turned the corner.

I followed him. My mind was running a marathon as we sat back down.

No fucking way. This was not a possibility...but the evidence was staring me right in the face. Literally.

I offered a warm smile at Kieran, even though I was pretty sure I'd come to a conclusion. Kieran was at Stavo's house this morning. Kieran was the one who stabbed me, who chased me. Kieran was the killer.

He grinned at me.

A/N: Alright, I'm calling it a night! Two chapters up in one day...well, it's past midnight now so whatever. Please leave me some reviews and let me know how yall like it :) Thanks for reading!


	4. Pillowtalk

The song for this chapter is Sofia Karlberg - Pillowtalk...yes, it’s a Zayn cover. Don’t judge me. 

While everyone stayed in the lobby I sat by Stavo’s bed, facing the door as to not get caught off guard. I watched him and noticed how peaceful he was with his eyes closed. His gaze was usually too intense and penetrating to feel comfortable around, but I guess I could get comfortable with them now that I knew he wasn’t half as bad as I once believed. Sadly, they put a hospital gown on him so that delicious man meat was hiding from me. My dad brought me a change of clothes. I honestly could care less right now. Times like this called for yoga pants and just a tshirt. Of course my dad had to bring me one that Jake gave me on our first date at the fair.   
How could I think Stavo was the killer? Well, he did have the Brandon James mask. What would he need that for? But if Audrey’s theater prankster was any indication lots of people had that mask. It was more than likely on Etsy. Really, I couldn’t blame people for cashing in on our tragedy.   
“Brooke?”  
I looked up to see Sheriff Acosta at the door.  
“Can I talk to you for a minute?”   
“No.”  
His brow rose. “Excuse me?” He took a step inside.   
I sighed. “Sheriff, I don’t mean to be rude, but I really can’t talk about any of this right now. I just relived something I thought was over for good. Can you just give me a day to process, please?” My eyes begged his.   
After a few moments, he nodded.   
“I’ll schedule a meeting with your dad.” He shot me an apologetic grin, checked on his son, and then left.  
I sighed again as I placed my hands over my head. I wasn’t particularly religious, but I prayed that this was a one time thing. That sounded naive even to me.  
After talking to my friends earlier, I decided that I had momentarily lost it. Keiran couldn’t be the killer. He couldn’t. What motive would he have to kill me? We were all a unit. He wouldn’t dismember his own unit. Would he?  
I unlocked my phone and called Jake and walked over to the corner of the room as to not disturb Stavo’s rest. It went straight to voicemail. Great. He was ignoring me.   
“I know you’re upset that I couldn’t take your call, but The Jake will have to get back to ya. Leave a saucy message at the beep.” Jake’s voicemail relayed.   
With a roll of my eyes, I started, “Jake, it’s me.” My eyes glanced behind me to check that Stavo was still sleeping. “Things are getting crazy here again. It’s not safe to come home. If you’re still in Mexico stay there. I know we’re not on the best of terms right now, but I’d really appreciate it if you just call me.” I tucked my hair behind my ear. “Be safe. Okay, bye.” I hung up, slid my phone into my cardigan pocket.   
The pain medicine they gave me for my leg kicked in nicely a few hours ago and it was still going strong. Obviously Stavo’s was working a hell of a lot nicer than mine. He’d been out since this morning. It made me wonder how much sleep had he’d been getting? If he was restless did that mean he didn’t like it here?   
I couldn’t sit still, but I didn’t want to leave Stavo alone, so I slowly paced the room until I was interrupted by a knock on the door.   
Emma gestured behind her towards the hall.   
I followed, but planted myself in the doorway.  
She gave a soft grin. “I wish I could stay longer, but I have to close at Grind House, so I have to head out now if I’m going to make it on time.”  
I nodded. “Okay, thanks for staying.”  
She pulled me into a hug.   
“Can you do me a favor?” I squeezed her back. “Can you not die tonight.”  
She rubbed my back in that responsible mothering way of hers. “I’ll try not to.” She tacked on a chuckle to cheer me up.  
I pulled away. “Make sure Kieran picks you up or call one of us to.”   
She nodded. “I don’t think I have much of a choice. Audrey’s going to tag along for my shift. I’m pretty sure Noah’s staying here with you guys.”   
I loved that we all had each other, but I hated that people had to die to get us to this place. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Noah and Audrey to pieces, but I doubted if Riley, Will, Tyler, and Nina were still alive we would’ve all been friends. We’d probably still be making fun of them, having parties, not giving a fuck if we hurt their feelings. I was extremely glad that I wasn’t that person anymore.   
“Are you going to spend the night here?” Emma asked.  
I shrugged. “Probably. I don’t really want to go home. Like ever. This is probably the safest place to be right now, so...”  
She looked down the hall at Sheriff Acosta as he talked to the Doctor with his arms folded across his chest.   
“He must be really worried.” She remarked.  
“I would be, too.”   
“Hey, where’s your dad?”  
My eyes rolled. “He had to go the PTA meeting. They want to plan an annual vigil. If he doesn’t go it’ll look bad for the reelection.”  
Her face scrunched up. “But you were just attacked.”  
“Yeah, but no one knows that yet. They’re trying to keep this hush hush until they get my statement.”  
“Well, give it.” Her eyes turned serious. “I’ve been on the receiving end of those calls and texts, hiding it doesn’t do anybody any good. It just gets more people killed.” She worked herself in a tussy.   
“Trust me, I get that Em. I just need a bit of a breather, then I’ll give it.”  
She gave a single nod. “Okay. Keep me updated.” She gave me another quick hug, then headed to work.  
I turned back into the room to find Stavo awake.  
He tried sitting up, but didn’t realize he was hooked up to monitor his vitals, so he groaned when they pulled him back.   
I rushed to his side. “Shit.” I muttered under my breath. My hand pushed his chest back down when he tried to take the plugs out. I wasn’t the least bit surprised by how firm it was.   
“Brooke,” He met my eyes. “I’m fine. I don’t need to stay here.”  
“What are you talking about? You’re not fine. You’ve been asleep the whole day. You need to be monitored.”   
He tried to sit up again.  
I pushed him back a little more forcefully this time.  
He huffed. “What’s your deal?”  
“I just think you should stay put. Duh.”   
He looked at me with hard eyes. “You don’t have to feel guilty. We’re not even friends. You don’t have to pretend like you care when I know you don’t. You don’t have to feel guilty.”  
A little taken aback, my eyes fluttered. “I don’t.” I lied.  
“A few hours ago you thought I was the killer, so what are you really doing here besides easing your guilt?”  
Our eyes locked.  
Dirty shame filled me.   
“You’re right.” I nodded. “I do feel guilty. But believe it or not, I actually liked your company earlier when you weren’t being a dick. You know before we went all slasher sequel?”  
His brow creased, but he continued to stare at me.  
I cleared my throat. “And maybe I’m scared to be alone.” I chewed the inside of my cheek before I swallowed all of my pride and asked, “So would it be okay with you if I like stayed for a while?”  
Part of me wondered if he realized my current sanity rested on his response?  
“I’m sorry.” He sighed. “I didn’t mean to be a dick. I’m sorry.” His head hung.  
My hand rested on his, liking the warmth I missed for most of the day. “It’s not your fault.”  
He looked at our joined hands, then up at me. “It is. I shouldn’t have gone to check out that noise. That was so stupid. You even told me that there was a killer in town. I should’ve stayed with you. I should’ve protected you.”  
My hand rubbed his. “You have nothing to be ashamed of. You couldn’t have predicted he’d come after me or you in broad daylight. I mean, doesn’t that go against slasher movie guidelines?”   
He ignored my question as his brow furrowed, and his hand turned over in mine. “But you got hurt. Now I have to live with that.”  
My heart softened. I tried to hide my grin, but I wasn’t sure I was successful. “You’d be proud of me. I fought back this time.”  
I thought about how I stabbed the killer in the stomach and how Kieran winced. Surely, there had to be another explanation. Maybe him and Emma liked to get kinky and took it too far.  
“Yeah?” He wore a lazy grin, but didn’t look surprised.  
My hand let go of his to grab the chair and pull it closer to the bed.   
“With Piper I ran a lot. I was scared.” I admitted. “But I had Jake then. And now I don’t even know what we are or where he is for that matter. He may not be the best boyfriend, but he’s been there for me since the sandbox.” I realized something as I looked at him. “I’m blabbering.”  
He just looked at me. “I don’t mind.”   
I waved it off. This was weird anyway; discussing Jake with him.  
“Where’s my dad? Did he say when I can leave?” He asked.  
My head tilted as I gave him a concerned look. “Why are you so hellbent on leaving? This is probably the safest place you could be right now.”  
He sighed. “We’re sitting ducks here, Brooke.”  
My brow rose. “So you plan to what? Move? Run away?”  
“I don’t know, but why would I willingly stay here? Why are you guys staying here?”  
“It’s my home.”   
We stared at each other for a few moments.   
“Sorry again.”  
He waved it off. “It’s not how I pictured my Saturday night going, but it beats sitting at home watching Netflix, so maybe I should thank you.”  
I tucked my hair behind my ear. “Yeah, well this wasn’t what I had planned either.”  
“What did you have planned? A hot slumber party with Audrey and Emma?”   
The image brought on a smile. “Can you really imagine me having a hot sleepover with Audrey and Emma?”  
All I could picture were face masks, pizza and ice cream, and a lot of Netflix with tears involved. No pillow fights. No trying on clothes. No kissing.   
His brow raised as his deep brown eyes scanned my body. “Yeah, I actually can.”  
How was it that from even a hospital bed he managed to come off as suave?  
I put on a fake smile. “Kind of how I imagine you and Noah sitting around a stack of horror films, kissing each other, and gushing about the Lakewood Six.” I gave a cheeky grin.   
He surprised me with a laugh.   
I think it was the first time I’d seen him laugh. A sight for sore eyes.   
He tilted his head. “What?”  
My shoulders shrugged. “I just didn’t know you could laugh. Stavo’s supposed to be all doom and gloom loner hottie, right?” I made a sheepish face once I realized what I said.  
Dammit. He wasn’t supposed to know he was hot. Well, he probably knew that. But he wasn’t supposed to know I thought he was hot. AF. I don’t know, there was something about this bed...  
A blush took over my face.  
He laughed again.  
His gaze felt like I was under a microscope.   
Thankfully another knock on the door intervened.   
Noah stood in the doorway. I practically sighed of relief.  
I could still feel Stavo’s gaze on me. Quite honestly, it was a lot to handle this close up. At least when we weren’t friends I could pretend he didn’t exist and ignore his intense stares.   
Noah cleared his throat. “Can I come in?”   
I answered for Stavo. “Yeah.”   
Stavo cut his eye at me.   
Noah stood on the other side of his bed. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry about all of this.”  
“Why are you sorry?” Stavo asked.  
Noah looked down with nervous eyes. “I feel like, uh, The Morgue drew some undue attention towards us. Maybe if I hadn’t piggybacked off of Piper’s podcast then you two wouldn’t be in a hospital right now.”   
“You don’t know that, man.” Stavo dismissed. “I have a feeling your podcast didn’t inspire this level of crazy.”  
Seeing Stavo trying to make Noah feel better dropped down any of the remaining defenses I had towards him. It was actually kind of sweet.  
“Great. Will you come on The Morgue? You know once Brooke gives her statement?”  
My eyes widened. “Noah,”   
Now I could see why everyone was a little pffed at him for asking me that earlier. It was a little insensitive. And he had the worst timing, but I guess he liked to strike while the iron was hot.  
Stavo grinned. “Dude, of course.” He held out his fist.  
Noah bumped it with a wide grin.  
That was our thing and now it’s been taken over by Nostavo. I supposed a harmless bromance wouldn’t do any harm. But I wouldn’t put it past Noah to have a friend crush on him.  
My phone dinged.   
Jake: Slinging my coconuts at bikinis. I’m fine, babe   
Red hot anger filled me. Ass.  
Me: Well, I hope your ‘coconuts’ get infected, dick!   
Jake: Don’t be jealous. There’s enough Jake to go around ;)  
Me: OMG!! Don’t come crawling back to me when you get back. I’ll punch you in the nads!   
Jake: Whatever you say, babe  
With a groan, I locked my phone.  
Noah and Stavo both stared at me with curious eyes.   
My eyes rolled. I looked to Noah. “Jake’s in Mexico, alright. Swinging his coconuts around.”  
Noah gave an apologetic look. “That doesn’t sound like Jake.”  
“Doesn’t it?”   
“Brooke, Jake really likes you. You’re literally all he talks about every time we hang out.”   
I couldn’t stop the grin from taking over my face. “I am?”  
Noah nodded. “I think he’s just trying to get a rise out of you.”  
“Well, he could do a better job than having me thinking he’s cheating on me.”   
Another knock came from the door. It was the Sheriff and the Doctor.  
I guess people really liked to make their presence known to a bunch of kids that’s had run in’s with a murderer.   
“How are you feeling?” Dr. Gaffey asked.  
“I’m fine.” Stavo stubbornly said. “When can I go home?”  
“He’s a little mouthy. Maybe you should give him some more medicine.” I added.  
Stavo shot me a look, then turned his gaze on the good Doctor. “Actually, I don’t want any more pain meds.”  
Dr. Gaffey nodded. He glanced at the Sheriff. “Alright. Well, with your dad’s consent we can get you home tomorrow morning at the earliest. You think you can swing staying the night?”  
He sighed. “If I have to.”  
His dad gave him a look. “Stavo.”   
He shrugged. “What? I know that I got hurt, but I don’t want to make it easier for this psycho to attack me again.”   
My eyes went to his heart monitor. It was skyrocketing.   
Everyone’s eyes went to it as it beeped.   
“We won’t let that happen.” I gave a reassuring grin to distract from his rising heartbeat.  
After they left Noah stayed and we chatted some more. I didn’t think Stavo was the talkative type until Noah and him geeked over the difference between Horror films and Slasher films while I played Candy Crush on my phone.   
Emma sent a group message out.   
Emma: We need to all get together and discuss how to tackle this new killer. No one goes anywhere alone, goes anywhere at night, or keeps secrets. If you know something tell everyone.  
I chimed in.  
Me: Agree af  
Audrey: Emma, I’m sitting right over here why did you add me to this group message?  
Emma: Haha love you  
Kieran: Agreed. Brooke, do you need me to pick up anything for you before I come back to the hospital?  
Didn’t he just agree not to go anywhere alone?   
Boys and their pride.  
Me: How about a shotgun?   
Noah: LOL  
I looked up at Noah, he gave me this creepy face, and I laughed.   
“What’s so funny?” Stavo asked.  
Kieran: For sure!!!!   
Emma: I love you guys  
Audrey: I’m literally ten feet away from you. Take me out of this group message.  
Me: Boo, you whore!  
Noah: Party pooper.  
Kieran: Don’t be lame Audrey  
Jake: Don’t be afraid of the dark, kiddies   
At that I locked my phone.   
I looked up to find Stavo watching me with an expectant brow. I waved my phone. “Group message.”  
He looked a little sad.  
“Do you still keep in contact with your friends back in Phoenix?”  
“A little. One of them was going to come up here next week to visit, but now that’s definitely not happening.”   
I could understand that, but I still pushed.   
“You don’t really have any friends here. It might be nice to see them.”  
“Not with a killer on the loose, Brooke.”   
I nodded. “Yeah, but we’re going to get it together. It won’t be the same as last time. We can fight back this time. We know what to do and what not to do.” I offered.   
He sighed. “Still doesn’t sound concrete to me, but Cage is pretty good at martial arts.”   
“Okay, well, I’m heading to the cafeteria. Do you guys want anything?” Noah asked.  
My head shook.  
“Yeah, can you get me a cheeseburger?”   
My eyes shot to Stavo. “Really? You can eat right now?”  
His veiny hand went to his empty stomach. “I’m starving.”   
“Sure.” Noah laughed. “I’ll be right back.”  
“Dude, don’t say that.” Stavo reminded him.  
He grinned. “You’re right. I might not be back.” He waved as he left.  
“Are you allowed to eat a cheeseburger?” My eyes narrowed.  
“It’s not like I had a gastric bypass.”  
I nodded.  
There was still an awkward tension in the air and I didn’t know how to diffuse it. Normally, I played these situations cool, but this wasn’t a normal situation. Just yesterday I clung to the idea that I hated Stavo and not even twenty four hours later I clung to him. As far as I knew, we had nothing in common. Well, besides good looks.   
“So are we like friends now or something?” He asked.  
“I guess?”   
That hung in the air.  
He wore a lazy grin. “Cool.”  
My lips pursed. “Cool.” My eyes slid to his lips. I was definitely glad they were still intact. “So tell me about Phoenix. Were you actually popular there?”   
His brow rose as he shook his head. “Not really, no.”  
“Really? Hot people are usually popular.” I placed my arm on the armrest.  
Oh my God. Why did I keep saying stuff like that?   
Luckily, he didn’t speak on it, but just laughed. “No, I wasn’t really into the pep rallies and the social hierarchy of it all. My friends were pretty awesome though. Your average film geeks and potheads.”   
I nodded. “Sometimes I wish I wasn’t popular or the Mayor’s daughter. Everything’s always a publicity stunt or a statement against it.” My eyes wandered across the room. “I would love to just be a teenager and not care about if what I wore would cost my dad the election.”   
“Yeah, I kind of know how that feels. My wardrobe can get pretty risque sometimes, too.”   
I looked back at him with a laugh. “I bet.”  
“Where’s your mom?”   
My laughter faded away.   
It was Saturday, I was supposed to go see her, and now she probably thinks I flaked because I was mad at her or something.  
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “She’s in rehab.” My eyes met his. “She’s working out some addiction issues. I think she’s doing a lot better.” I bit my lip. “I was supposed to go see her today, but...you know.”  
His fingers brushed mine until they were holding mine. “I’m sorry.”  
A wave of tingles glided up my arm.  
My head shook. “It’s not your fault.” I offered a meek half grin. “What about your mom? There wasn’t really a female’s touch in your house.”  
He nodded. “She died in childbirth.”   
My eyes widened. “Wow, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”   
“It’s okay.” He looked at his lap. “I thought my dad blamed me for her death for a long time because we were never really close even though we only had each other. Back in Phoenix his job kept him around the clock most days. My friends really were my family. If it were up to me I’d still be there.”   
I felt kind of honored he disclosed that much information about himself. He wasn’t an open book, but I think he felt obligated to share something because I offered so much earlier.   
“Do you think you’re going to go back after you graduate?”  
Excitement sparked in his brown eyes. “Most definitely. Aside from the movies, there’s nothing much to do here.”  
He had me there.   
“Back in the day, I was known for my killer parties.”   
He smirked.  
I grinned. “Poor choice of words. Maybe when things cool down again we can have one.”   
“We?”   
“You wanted friends, right?”   
He cleared his throat. “Yeah.” He pointed to the pink picture of water. “Can you get me some water, please?”  
“Sure.” I walked over and poured him a cup.   
When I turned around I found him staring at my ass. Typical, but highly flattering.  
He reached for the cup, but I brought it to his lips instead. Maybe he was surprised by this action, but he sipped gratefully until he didn’t want anymore. “Thanks.”   
I nodded.   
“I could get used to this.” He rested the hand that wasn’t poked with needles behind his head. “You can keep feeling guilty.” He smirked.  
My hand flashed out and punched his shoulder.   
He winced.  
Regret instantly filled me.   
“Crap. I’m sorry.” I moved closer to rub his shoulder.  
He turned his head so our faces were almost as close as when we kissed. “Kidding.”   
A relieved sigh left me as I grinned. “Ass.”   
He gazed at me with intent in his eyes.   
Really, I wasn’t shocked. I knew he wanted me. He said as much last night at the movies. But I still had to figure things out with Jake. Plus, this couldn’t be worst timing. With that said, I didn’t move away or clear my throat or do anything that signaled I didn’t want him to kiss me.  
But someone cleared their throat.  
We turned to look find Kieran in the doorway. “Am I interrupting something?”   
I put some distance between us by sitting in the chair. “Nope.”   
Kieran nodded once at Stavo. “Hey, man. How you feeling?”   
“Fine. They’re keeping me until tomorrow though.”   
“It’s probably the safest place for you at the moment.”   
“That’s what I’ve been telling him.” I agreed.   
Noah walked in the room with his food.   
As the smell of greasy food filled the room my stomach grumbled. Loudly. I made a sheepish face. My eyes followed longingly as he handed Stavo the cheeseburger and fries.   
“Thanks, dude.” Stavo bit into the burger and moaned.  
I watched as Noah popped a fry into his mouth. I should’ve asked him to get me something. I could’ve gone to the cafeteria myself, but I really didn’t want to leave Stavo alone. Oh, the dilemma.  
“Do you want some of my fries?” Stavo asked with a knowing look.  
My head shook. “No, I’m good. Thanks though.”   
I inspected my nails, hoping to distract myself, but my stomach grumbled again.   
“Here.” He held out his burger “Take a bite.”  
Normally, I would be grossed out, but my stomach didn’t care.   
I sighed of relief. “Thanks.” I took a bigger bite than I meant to.   
He looked at me with narrowed eyes.  
“Sorry.” I mumbled with my mouth full. I took a few of his fries for good measure, then sat back in my seat.  
He shot me a lazy grin.  
“Brooke, do you want me to go get you something?” Noah asked.   
I nodded as I popped a fry into my mouth. “Yes, please.”   
He laughed. “I’ll be right back.” He stood, then looked at us. “You know what I mean.”   
“I’ll go with you.” Kieran trailed behind him.   
Stavo turned to me. “Does this mean I can take half of your burger now?”   
I laughed. “Not even.”   
“Wow, you’re selfish. After I departed with some of my burger. I took a pair of scissors for you.” He tsked.  
“That’s one thing you’ll learn about me.” I propped my feet on the chair and leaned forward. “I’m a spoiled brat. You’ll have to live with that.”   
“I can handle that.” He stared at me.  
My pulse raised. “Good.”  
My phone rung. I yanked it from my cardigan pocket. “Hey, daddy.”   
“Sorry, I’ve been gone all day. I’ll make it up to you. How about we rent some movies tonight, order a pizza? No phone calls, I promise.” He suggested hopefully.  
Any other night I’d be happy to chill with my dad, but I couldn’t go home just yet. It didn’t feel safe. Not when Stavo was here.   
“Can we raincheck?” I rested my chin on my knees. “I think I’m going to stay the night.” My eyes went to Stavo’s to ask for permission. “If that’s okay?”  
He winked.  
I attempted to hide my smile, but it won out.   
“Are you sure?” My dad asked. “I mean, do you feel safe there?”   
I nodded, then realized he couldn’t see that. “Yeah, I guess, I do.”   
“Alright, sweetheart. I’ll stop by with a change of clothes in a little.”   
“Kay, thanks.”   
“Love you, sweetie.”   
My face flushed. “Love you, too, daddy.” I hung up and saw that I had a text from an unknown number. It was the killer. Fucking fantastic.  
Unknown: Sorry, I didn’t finish the job earlier. It won’t happen again, Brooke.  
My jaw clenched as I shoved the phone back into my pocket.  
“What’s wrong? You’re as white as a ghost.” Stavo sat up.   
I avoided his eyes because he seemed to detect bullshit well. “Nothing.” I hugged my arms around me.   
“I can tell that’s a hundred percent not true. Let me see your phone.”   
My eyes flitted to his. “What? No way.”  
He gave me a serious look.   
A huff left me while I unlocked my phone and handed it over.  
I could tell the moment he saw the message from how his face hardened and his back stiffened. He typed back.  
“What are you doing?” I reached for my phone.  
He pulled away. “What does it look like?”  
“Come on, that’s a bad idea. Look what happened earlier.” I reached for it again.  
He deflected my attempts. “He’ll have to get through me to get to you.” He typed away on my phone.  
I shot up. “Stavo, I’m serious.”   
He held my phone to his far left, his eyes on mine. “So am I.” He turned so he could type with both hands.   
Determination filled me. I crawled on the bed and reached, but he held the phone behind the bed. I laughed. “Don’t be an idiot, give me the phone.” I leaned down too far and almost fell off the bed.   
His strong hands caught my waist and pulled me up.   
Our eyes locked. The air left me while his entire body heat engulfed me. In hindsight, I shouldn’t have sat on his lap, but it just happened.   
His heart raced as told by the monitor.   
“I should probably move, huh?”   
He gave a tight nod.  
My hand picked up my phone.   
“Holy lap dance, Brooke.” Noah commented.  
Stavo’s hands fell from my side.  
My face turned beet red in embarrassment. How much more could I embarrass myself today?   
I practically leaped off the bed for my food. Anything to distract from this ever-growing awkward situation.   
“Thanks, Noah.”   
Kieran gave me an amused look.   
I made a face at him. I kept to their side, feeling the need to distance myself from Stavo. Things were getting a little too intense for my liking, but it wasn’t his fault he was too caliente to handle. I blame his parents.  
Kieran grinned. “Emma called. She’s going to sleep over at Audrey’s. Noah and I are going to stay in the lobby tonight.”   
I gave an appreciative grin. “Thanks.”   
I know they weren’t much, but I felt considerably safer with them nearby.   
“A sleepover? You don’t say.” Stavo muttered.  
My eyes jokingly rolled.   
“Huh?” Kieran asked.  
“Nothing.” I grumbled over the burger.   
The nurse, the Sheriff, and my dad all came in the room at the same time.   
My dad pulled me to the side. He sat my overnight bag on the dresser. “Everything’s in your bag. I got a nurse to write down the wifi info, it’s in there, too. We’re going to talk about what I found in underwear drawer later.” He whispered.   
I froze. “Daddy,” I quietly complained as my face flamed. I placed my food on the dresser next to my bag.   
He held his hand up. “I’m leaving. Be safe. I’m going to be here first thing in the morning. I had my assistant cancel my whole day. You and I are going to spend the whole day together, young lady.”   
I made a face. “Great.”   
“Try not to look so excited about it.” He pulled me in for a hug, then kissed my forehead. “Love you, sweetie.”   
I pulled away, then surprised myself by wrapping my arms around him again. “I love you, too.”   
He rubbed my back lovingly, then pulled away. He walked over to Stavo. “I’m glad you’re okay, Gustavo. You let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.”   
Stavo nodded tightly. “Okay, thanks, sir.”   
He called my dad ‘sir.” He didn’t strike me as the type to respect authority, but his dad was the Sheriff, so I guess it went with the territory. I could relate to that.   
My dad headed for the door as he chatted with the nurse. Ew.   
The Sheriff hugged his son. “I’ll be on duty all night. Call me if you need me.” He glanced at me, then said something in Spanish to his son.   
Stavo answered back with a string of rapid fire Spanish.   
I was never one for accents, but I hadn’t realized he had one or that he could speak Spanish. It wasn’t a given. It’d be racists if I assumed. As they conversed I realized how hot it was. Yet another attractive quality about him that I had to fight.   
The Sheriff nodded. “Come on, kids. Visiting hours are over.” He patted Kieran and Noah on the back.   
They moved to hug me at the same time so we settled for a group hug. We pulled away after a few moments.   
Noah held out his fist.   
I pounded it with a grin.   
Kieran patted my shoulder.   
“We’re only a call away.” Kieran said.   
I nodded. “I know, I’ll be fine.”   
“See ya.” Noah said to Stavo.   
Kieran waved goodbye at him.   
The Sheriff gave me a friendly enough look. “Night, Brooke.”   
“Goodnight.”   
He waved at his son before leaving.   
I grabbed my bag and pulled out my laptop and went back to my seat. “Netflix and Chill?” My brow rose.  
“Bring it.”   
I connected to the wifi, then went to Netflix. “What are you in the mood for?” I scrolled through my queue.   
He motioned for my laptop.   
Reluctantly, I gave it to him. I leaned against the armrest so I could see the screen.  
He went to my continue watching list and clicked on Pretty Little Liars.  
My brow rose. “You’re willingly going to watch PLL with me?”   
“I’m not caught up.” He admitted without looking at me.  
I laughed. For about five minutes.  
He gave me a look. “You done over there?”  
“Yes, I just can’t believe you of all people watch PLL.” I grinned. “Is it for the hot girls?”   
He reddened. “Cage made me watch it.”   
This was the first time I’d seen him slightly embarrassed about anything. Granted, we’d only been sort of friends for about twelve hours. I knew there was a lot about him I didn’t know, but I had a feeling I’d enjoy cracking the mysterious broody case that was Stavo Acosta.   
“Because I’m a guy I can’t watch PLL?”   
“The fact that you called it PLL in the first place makes me question your story.” I said as went to get my food from the dresser and plugged in my laptop so it could charge.   
He found the episode he left off on while I moved my chair so that it was directly next to the bed, then placed my laptop on his bedside table so we could comfortably watch it.   
When I settled in next to him, he turned to me. “If you tell anybody about this I’ll have to kill you.”   
I held my hands up in surrender. “Noted.”  
He looked at me for a few more moments.  
“What?”   
He looked as if he wanted to say something, but was afraid to say it. Finally, he spoke, “Thanks for staying. I don’t think I could be alone right now either.”   
My heart warmed. “Thanks for not kicking me out.”   
“Oh, I’d never kick you out, Brooke.” He gave a soft grin as he turned back to the screen once the episode started.   
We watched in comfortable silence, but throughout my eyes constantly drifted back to him. With the decision made, I pulled out my phone. I went to our group message and added Stavo’s number. He was one of us now.  
A grin played on my face at that fact. 

A/N: Thanks for reading yall!! I hoped yall liked it. Let me know what you think with a review/favorite/follow. P.S. This isn’t the last chapter, I promise. I plan to make this as long as humanly possible. :) P.P.S. Don’t forget that Scream is now moved to the Tuesday @ 10pm time slot to get more viewers. Tell ur friends to watch it, season 1 is on Netflix. And if you have any friends that watch PLL then they’ll probably like Scream :)


	5. No Sanctuary

I just have so many feelings!!!!!!! I WAS FUCKING RIGHT ABOUT THE COMIC BOOK THEORY!!!! YES! I know I didn’t put it in the announcements, but the fans I talked to on social media and directed here knows I told them about it and that’s all I need in life...and Santiago liked my tweet about it. Brostavo is in next week’s episode working together...that backwards cap tho!!   
I need a breather...honestly freaking out cuz that episode was freaking awesome!!!

The song for this chapter is Koba - No Sanctuary “Reunion” (The Walking Dead soundtrack remake - can be found on YouTube) 

My head fell forward too far waking me from my sweet slumber. My eyes snapped open. Once I realized where I was I looked up to find Stavo snoozing away.  
I gently pulled away and tip toed to grab my bag, then silently closed the bathroom door behind me. The pain in my calve had returned to maximum volume and I needed a horse tranq right now. My reflection made me wince. I was too pale, my eyes were baggy, and myhair needed a good conditioning. While I brushed my teeth I thought about how I was different today than yesterday. My friends and my dad may see what I went through as a tragedy, but I saw it as a triumph. We made it. So far.   
My phone dinged.  
Jake: I heard about what happened. Sorry I wasn’t there. Won’t happen again.  
Me: Are your coconuts empty is that it?  
Jake: No I just felt sorry for you, Brooke.   
My eyes rolled as I locked my phone.  
By the time I washed up and changed into new clothes Stavo was awake. I sat my bag back on the dresser, then proceeded to put my hair up in a lazy bun.   
“Hey,” I shot him a grin.   
He rubbed his eyes. “Morning.”   
Awkwardness filled the air so I rifled through my bag until I found the prescribed pain meds. I shook the bottle at him.  
“I know you said you didn’t want anymore drugs but it’ll help take the edge off.”   
His head shook. “No way. I’m getting out of here today. I don’t want to be loopy.”   
My shoulders shrugged. “Suit yourself.” I threw two back.   
If I were being honest, one was for my leg and the other was for Jake. The two things I didn’t want to think about today.   
Stavo ripped the needles out of his arm as he scooted off the bed.   
“Really?” I went to his side.   
He swayed a bit, but I grabbed his sides to steady him. If he toppled over he’d likely crush me.  
For some reason while he was in the bed I forgot he stood at least a foot taller than me. Well, most people did.   
“You’re not even going to wait for your dad?”   
He nodded behind me. “I’m just trying to change into something more comfortable.”  
I glanced over my shoulder to find a folded up pair of jeans and a shirt on the table by my laptop.   
“In case you forgot, these gowns are assless.”   
My hand attempted to cover my catlike grin. I wouldn’t mind getting a promo at the goods, but if his butt cheeks were sculpted like his real cheeks I’d be fine.   
“Are you going to watch me undress or?” He asked with a lifted brow.  
“I should probably leave, shouldn’t I?”   
I realized I was still holding onto him and didn’t need to be.  
“Or not.” He said in that deadpan way of his.  
I backed away and turned around. “BTW, your breath smells like ass.” I said over my shoulder before I stood in the doorway with my back to him.  
“Oh, I’m sorry.” He said sarcastically. “Does it look like I have a toothbrush?”   
My eyes scanned the halls. “There’s some toothpaste in my bag. Use as much as you’d like.”   
I felt his gaze on me, but I didn’t turn around.   
“Wow, nice thongs.”   
I flashed around so fast. The fact that my delicates were in my bag slipped my mind. I half expected him to be holding a pair, but he walked to the bathroom...with his gown open...exposing his butt.  
“Nice ass.” I commented with a wink and a giggle.  
He smirked. “You’re welcome.”   
My eyes couldn’t roll hard enough. I turned around, mostly because I didn’t want him to see my face turn red.   
“Have you heard from Jake?” He called after a few minutes of silence.  
I was a little shocked that he cared, but then again he wanted in my pants. Who could blame him though?   
With a sigh, I explained, “Yeah, he texted me this morning. He’s still on my to don’t list.”   
“He didn’t call you?”   
Unwarranted tears pricked at my eyes, but I wouldn’t shed another damn tear over Jake Fitzgerald. Mitzgerald was done...unless he came crawling back. Then I’d have to reconsider it.   
“There’s probably no signal in Mexico.” I joked with a dry tone.  
“Funny.” After a few minutes of silence he cursed.   
I glanced at the bathroom to find him with his shirt stuck around his head. A laugh bubbled out of me as I walked over to him to lean on the doorframe. His dark jeans fit him well.   
“Are you going to help me or just watch me struggle?” He turned to face me with his abs on display.   
Very nice.   
My laughter was replaced by a mock grin. “Depends if you ask nicely.”   
“You just like looking at my abs, don’t you?”   
Guilty as charged.   
“You should be nicer to me, you know.” I helped him unravel the forest green t-shirt and pull it down. “I let you use my toothpaste and get a peek at my underwear.”   
“Yeah, this foreplay is getting out of hand.”   
My grin turned into a laugh. “Are your stitches okay?”   
He placed his warm hand on my hip as he scooted past me out of the bathroom. “It could be worse.” He slipped on his socks. “We have to give our statements today. Not looking forward to that.”  
I nodded in agreement. “Not even a little.” I put my laptop in my bag. “What are you up to for the rest of the day?”  
He glanced at me as he tied his shoes. “Why, you want to Netflix and Chill some more?”   
“I wish. My dad wants to spend the day together.” My arms folded across my chest as I leaned against the wall.   
“Well, if it makes you feel any better I think my dad is itching for the same.” He looked around the room. “Have you seen my phone?”   
“I think your dad has it.”   
Noah appeared in the doorway, his hair stuck up in different directions. He peered at us with sleepy eyes. “You’re alive.” He commented with a gravely voice. “Cool. I’m going home.”   
I couldn’t blame him. He slept in a semi busy lobby in an uncomfortable chair. My back was a little sore to be honest. What I wouldn’t give for a spa day.  
“Thanks for staying, Noah.” I grinned at his adorableness.  
He gave a lazy wave.   
Stavo grinned. “Yeah. Thanks, man.”   
He barely lifted his arm to wave at him. “Don’t call me for ten hours.” He muttered.   
“What if there’s another attack?”   
His head barely shook. “Not even then.” He disappeared down the hall.   
Stavo and I stared at each other for a few moments then laughed.  
The rest of the day went by as expected. A few hours of questions and concerned looks were thrown our way at the station. Spending the day with my dad was beginning to look better and better.   
“How much longer?” I whined while we sat in his dad’s office.  
Stavo typed away on his phone, then turned his eyes on me with curiosity. “Huh?”   
“Are you texting an old girlfriend or something?” My brow rose as I smirked.  
We never delved into his love life and now I was curious. I still really didn’t know much about him except for he liked to draw. And he had a Brandon James mask, but I figured that wouldn’t be a question to ask in a police station. Or maybe it was, but he couldn’t be too much of a threat with his dad as the Sheriff and a punctured back.   
He turned back to his phone. “No, just Cage and the rest of my friends. I’m telling them not to come up, but they don’t understand why. My dad was very specific about not telling them until the local news breaks the story.”   
His dad seemed like a stand up guy, he was okay with a lot of the things we did. He understood what it was to be a Lakewood survivor. With that said, he left like five minutes ago and hadn’t returned. My patience was wearing thin. I just wanted to go home.  
I thought about how Stavo didn’t want to stick around town. Maybe he was right, maybe the solution was for him to go. I couldn’t leave. My friends and family were here, but he could. Sure, I had developed a slight attachment to him since yesterday, but if it meant he wouldn’t die then his dad had to think about it.  
“Instead of them coming here maybe you should go there?”   
He looked at me for a little longer than normal, which was actually an acceptable Stavo stare, then shook his head. “That’s not a bad idea, but I can’t.”   
“Why not?”   
“As much as I want to leave I can’t leave my dad. He’d be distracted with worrying about me when he needs to catch this killer.” He sat back in his chair and propped his feet on the edge of his dad’s desk. “Besides, you’d miss me too much.”   
I scoffed. “You wish.”   
We jumped as the door opened.   
Maggie rushed in. “Brooke,” She wrapped me in a motherly hug, much like her daughter’s. “I’ve been so worried about you. Are you okay?”   
She was like a second mom to me. I was glad she was here. My mom hadn’t been here for the important stuff lately, but Maggie had. She’d take me out to eat or to the movies sometimes, just the two of us. Emma didn’t know, but I figured she wouldn’t mind sharing her mom seeing as how mine was in recovery.  
I nodded. “I’ll be fine.” I pointed to Stavo. “You know Stavo, right?”   
He stood to his feet and held out a hand.   
She grinned at him, then pulled him in for a hug. “Of course. I’m glad you’re okay, too.”   
The shock on his face from such personal contact was laughable.   
“Uh...thanks, Ms. Duval.” He patted her back.   
She let him go. “You let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.” She looked between us. “I have to get back to the lab. A body was found. No lips on this guy.”   
I froze.  
Stavo looked at me with knowing eyes, but didn’t say anything.   
Maggie headed for the door. “Alright, love you.”  
“You, too.” I offered a small grin.   
Once she closed the door I turned to Stavo and freaked out. I pulled my legs up into the seat. “Oh my God. They were real.” My hands tried to shake off the gross feeling.   
He sat on the arm of his chair. “Chill. We already knew there was a body somewhere to find. Maybe this will be it for a while.”   
I shot him a disbelieving look. “Doubtful. Whoever this person is they’re angry. And they want us dead and they’re getting creative about it.” My hands covered my eyes, this time I didn’t stop the tears from coming. “I shouldn’t have gotten you involved.”   
He put a tissue in my hand. “Come on, don’t cry. This isn’t your fault.”   
I wiped at my eyes, but the tears kept coming.   
He was crouched down in front of me, looking at me with soft eyes.  
“Yes, it is. The killer saw us kiss and...” I paused.   
It finally clicked. Why hadn’t I thought of it before?   
“What?”   
“Branson.” I muttered. “He was right there.” All the air left me as extreme worry set in. “No no no no...” My hands fumbled for my phone. I dialed Jake’s number, but it went to voicemail again. “God, would you answer your stupid phone. I’m worried about you.” I hung up.  
“I thought you said Jake was in Mexico? Shouldn’t he be fine?”   
I didn’t want to voice this theory for fear of it being true, but I couldn’t hold all of this in.   
My eyes met his. “Honestly, until I hear his voice I have to think the worst. I have to call his parents.” I breathed out and in a few times, but it didn’t help in calming my nerves.   
He held his hands out. “Just relax for a sec. I’m sure Jake’s fine. He’ll get back to you. And if he doesn’t then I’ll have my dad look into it. Okay?”   
Maybe he was right. I needed to take a chill pill. I was hyped up on all the crazy.   
I nodded. “Okay, thanks.”   
He handed me another tissue. “Unless you want my dad to hold us another hour you should wipe your face.” He didn’t say it it rudely, just in the straightforward way of his.   
I did as he said while he sat back down and propped his feet back on his dad’s desk. He mentioned that he’d done some bad things back in Phoenix. He seemed so used to this, which only drove my need to know more. He was such a question mark that it pulled me in.   
He felt my gaze. “What?”   
“I guess, I never thought you’d be this normal. Your creepy is fading.”   
He gave a small grin. “To be fair, I didn’t think you’d be this nice. Your bitch is fading.”   
I laughed. “I would be offended if that weren’t true.”   
His dad walked in with a donut. “Sorry, got held up.” He closed the door.  
“We can see that.” Stavo remarked.   
His dad smack the back of his head playfully. “Feet off my desk now.”  
I coughed to hide my laugh.   
Stavo shot me an amused look, then turned back to his dad. “Are there anymore donuts?”   
“Not for you.” Sheriff Acosta looked at me. “Do you want one, Brooke?”   
“Maybe later.” I cleared my throat. “Can we wrap this up?”  
His brow lifted in amusement. “Sure thing.” He looked at his son.  
Stavo gave him a close mouthed grin.   
“I spoke to your dad and he agrees that you and your friends should have a round the clock patrol.”   
“What?” I leaned forward. “That’s not exactly what I had in mind.”   
“That’s not up to you. Your dad’s the Mayor, Brooke. If he wants a twenty four hour patrol on you he’s going to get it.”   
I turned to Stavo in disbelief.   
He glanced at me, then sat forward. “Is that really necessary, dad?”   
The Sheriff sighed. “What do you propose I do? You both almost died in my house. Quite frankly, I love this approach. You’re both getting escorts to and from class. Nightly check ins. Any suspicious activity you see you report it. Brooke,” He looked at me. “It would be in your best interest to stay close to a Deputy at all times.”   
Stavo and I shared a look.   
“Don’t get me wrong, Sheriff Acosta. I appreciate all of this, but it’s a bit much.”   
He nodded. “I understand, but it’s my job to protect you both.”   
I knew I shouldn’t be mad, but I was.   
With a huff, I asked, “Can I leave now?”   
“Yeah.”   
I fled the room to find my dad talking to a Deputy in the lobby.   
He turned to me. “Hey, are you ready to go home?”   
No and yes. I didn’t feel safe there, but I wanted to be in my own bed.  
“Sure.”   
Him and the Deputy walked out and I trailed behind.   
“Brooke?” Stavo called.  
Even though I literally just saw him my heart jumped at the sight of him as he walked towards me.  
“Yeah?” I stared into his eyes.   
“Um,” He pointed behind him at his dad’s office. “I’m sorry about my dad. He’s doing the best he can.”   
I stepped closer to him. “I know and I get it. All of this just sucks.”   
“Brooke?” My dad called from down the hall.   
I held one finger up. “I’ll be there in a second.” I turned back to Stavo. “I guess, I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”   
An unsure sadness hung in the air that I wasn’t sure he picked up on. Would we speak to each other tomorrow at school? Would we hang out? He felt like one of us now, but what if he didn’t want to be?  
He stared at me. “I guess so.”   
We were lingering, but what more was there to say?   
I gave a small wave.   
He gave a head nod.  
It still didn’t feel right.  
On impulse, I turned back and wrapped my arms around his back, careful not to touch his wound. He held me close in his warm embrace, which was so new to me, yet felt familiar.   
“Be careful.” I told him.  
“You, too.”  
I pulled away.   
We shared a knowing look that this might be the last time we saw each other. And that would really suck.   
Finally, I turned around and started down the hall with the nagging fear in my chest.  
My dad and I spent the afternoon together as promised. Because he was old he insisted on getting movies from The Redbox even after I explained how Netflix worked. We laughed over Kevin Hart movies. It was more fun than I thought I would have and I definitely needed the laughs. Stavo was pretty funny. I definitely laughed around him more than most of my friends.   
Maybe I should text him. Or would that be too desperate? I decided to sit on the idea a little longer.   
“Are you okay, sweetheart?” My dad asked.   
I realized I zoned out.   
“Yeah, just thinking about some things.”   
He took a sip of his drink. “If it’s about your mom, I talked to her nurse this morning and told her what happened.”   
I looked at him. “You didn’t tell mom yourself?” My tone accusatory because I didn’t think he actually cared whether she got better anymore.   
“Her nurse says she’s had a relapse. It wouldn’t have done any good to deliver the news myself.”  
“You say that like you actually care.” I shot up. “You don’t care if she ever gets out of that facility.”   
He looked hurt, but didn’t deny it. “Brooke, that’s not fair.”  
“No, what’s not fair is leaving her there to rot or lying to me about it for months.” I let out an incredulous breath. “God, daddy. You don’t even know her nurse’s name! It’s Sydney by the way.” I stalked out of the room.   
“Where are you going?” He demanded as he came after me.   
“To my room!” I ran up the stairs.   
I shut my door and flopped on my bed with a groan.   
This was such a shitty week. I swear.   
I pulled out my laptop, checked my email for a bit, then caught up on social media. It seemed everyone knew about the attack now. #BrookeAndStavoSurvived was trending on Twitter. People were calling us Brostavo...wasn’t a fan of the name, but it was catchy. I didn’t think anyone saw us, but there were pictures up of us entering and exiting the hospital together. I momentarily wondered if Jake would see this and get jealous. Did he even care anymore? He’d been radio silent the whole afternoon. If we were really over then he could at least have the decency to call me or something. We’d been friends for our whole lives for Christ’s sake.  
Tired of seeing people’s comments, I went to Netflix. For a moment, I hovered over PLL. My mind went back to last night and how we fell asleep watching it together. Maybe that could be our show. The thought made me smile as I scrolled through other options.  
Halfway through OITNB Noah’s face popped up on my phone.   
“Hey, finally done with your nap-”  
“Brooke, the killer is after me!” He rushed out in a worried whisper.   
I sat up straight in my bed. “What? Where are you?”   
He breathed hard on the other end. “I was following a lead on Piper’s accomplice. I got a lead out at a barn that’s reportedly Troy James’ old house.” He moved around so much I could hear the feedback on the line. “Someone’s here.” He whispered, a desperate cry in his voice. “I’m so scared, Brooke.”   
Panic filled my chest. What could I do from my house?   
“Where’s your car?”   
He whimpered. “I don’t even know where I’m at. Lost in the woods.”   
“Noah, listen to me. It’s probably just someone trying to scare you. I’m going to call the police.”   
Some ruckus from his side filled my ear. He groaned. “Wait,” He pleaded.  
“Noah, I’m right here. Are you okay?”   
“No.” He cried.   
“What happened?”  
“Please, don’t!” He yelled. “No!”  
My back turned stiff. Fear ebbed in me as I called out, “Noah?”   
“Hello, Brooke.” The killer said. It sounded so much like Branson that I felt stupid for not noticing it before. Maybe there was no voice changer app this time.   
An empty pit hollowed out my stomach. “What did you do to Noah, you sick son of a bitch?” I stood to my feet.  
“Nothing that can’t be undone.”   
My eyes stung with fresh tears. “What does that mean? Is he still alive?”   
“Come and find out.” He challenged.  
Anger filled me. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”   
He chuckled. “If you don’t then Noah dies like the others.”   
Others? How many had he killed?   
My fear from earlier resurfaced. What if something had happened to Jake? He was being extra elusive. And it wasn’t like him to not call me if something so serious happened, whether or not if we were together.   
This was beyond this stupidest thing I could ever do, but if I didn’t go out there then Noah would die! It was time to nut up or shut up.  
I breathed out a nervous breath. “How do I know where to find you?”   
“You’ve been to the Troy James house with Emma. Go to the barn. We’ll be waiting.”   
I prepared to hang up.  
“Oh, and Brooke? If I hear a siren or see a blue and red light I’ll open him up like a pinata.”   
“Understood.”  
He hung up.  
For a few moments I stood in place in shock. This was happening, I didn’t have a choice. How could I get out of here without the cops seeing me?  
Quickly, I changed into all black and stuffed my covers with pillows like they did in the movies. I tiptoed down the stairs. My dad was talking to the cops in his office, giving them an update on me.  
I scoffed to myself, snuck past him and out of the back door, and then casually walked past the empty cop car. Once I was a safe distance from my house I briskly jogged the distance to Stavo’s house. For Noah’s sake, I hoped his dad wasn’t home yet.   
I knew the cops would be outside of his house, so I ran through the neighbor’s backyard and jumped the metal fence, which oddly made me feel like a badass. There wasn’t a police car in the driveway, so I figured I’d be okay. I slinked to his side patio door.   
He sat at the island on the phone with someone.   
I knocked on the glass door, very much out of breath.  
He jumped then relaxed when he caught sight of me. He quickly opened the door. “Hold on,” He said into the phone. “What are you doing here?” He asked me with his cellphone pressed to his shirt.  
I rushed inside. “Hang up the phone.” I whispered. “Something really bad happened.”  
He seemed to know what I meant and held the phone back to his ear. “Cage, I gotta go.” He nodded at something Cage said to him. “Love you, too.” He hung up a few seconds later, then turned to me. “What happened? Why are you dressed like a burglar?”   
The weight of the situation hit me as he stared at me with those brown eyes. My chin trembled.   
“He has Noah.” I fought back the waterworks, but they won out. “The killer has Noah. And if I don’t go to them then he’ll kill Noah.” I broke down. “He’s going to kill me.”   
Stavo pulled me to him and his touch someone made me cry that much harder. He rubbed my back as I cried into his chest. I felt a fraction better, but the anxiety hadn’t left.  
“I’m not going to let that happen.”  
We both knew he couldn’t promise that. Not really.  
“We have to tell my dad.”   
I pulled back. “We can’t. He said no cops or he’ll kill Noah. We can’t take that chance.” I wiped at my face. “I’m going alone, I just wanted to tell you in case I don’t make it back.”   
Disbelief crossed over her face. “You’re not going alone.” He stared down at me. “I won’t let you.”  
My head shook. “I can’t ask you to do that.”   
“You don’t have to.”  
“No, not after what happened yesterday. I’m not risking your life again.”   
He stepped forward so that he was looking directly down at me. “If you think I’m letting you go alone you’re crazy. I’m going and we’re wasting time arguing about it.”  
“Stavo-”  
“Brooke, listen to me,” He interrupted. “Noah’s my friend, too. I’m not going to sit around and let him die. I’m going with you. End of discussion.” He lead me out of the door. “We can ride my motorcycle.”   
“How the hell are we going to sneak that past your patrol?” I asked.  
“Trust me, they’re passed out.”   
We wheeled his bike as quietly as possible past the sleeping deputies and around the corner to be safe. I had to admit the thrill of sneaking around and being caught made me a little excited, but that excitement washed away once I remembered where we were going and what we were about to face.   
“Thanks for doing this. I couldn’t do this alone.”   
He looked at me. “I’m just glad you came to me first.”  
He swung a leg around and kicked the bike to life. “Hop on.” He said over his shoulder.  
This was my first time being up close to a motorcycle, let alone riding one. New nerves fluttered in my stomach on top of the old ones.   
Once I settled on behind him I placed my hands on his waist. He moved them so that I hugged him tight.   
“If you don’t want to fall off keep them there.” He instructed.  
“You just want to feel my arms around you.” I teased.   
He revved the engine. “You figured me out.”   
A small grin played on my lips.   
“Are you ready?”   
I pressed my face against his warm back. “Yes.”  
As we rode down the streets with my directions we both knew there was a good chance we wouldn’t be coming back from this rescue mission and that was something we’d have to live with. 

A/N: Did anyone else who I hadn’t talked to think that Stavo was making his own comic book? P.S. It’s harder than you think to not write characters making stupid decisions with the killer out there than you think...something stupid has to move the plot forward. Thanks for reading yall!! Can’t wait until 2x06 just to see Stavo with his backwards cap ;) Please leave a review!


	6. Not Alone

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who took the time to read this, it means a lot. A special thank you to those of you who comment or let me know what you think via social media. Yall rock my socks off lol 

The song for this chapter is Red - Not Alone

As we came to a stop a half of a mile back from the barn my heart pounded in my chest. There was no going back, we had to do this for Noah. Or he’d die and I couldn’t lose another one of my friends.   
Stavo cut the engine and looked back at me. “Are you sure about this?”   
“We can’t just leave him here to die.”  
He nodded. “You can stay here. I’ll go check out the place. I can get him back.”  
My hands fell to his hips, I turned him around to face me more. “In what world would you think I’d be okay with that?”   
For one, I’d be waiting around in the night. Secondly, he’d have no back up.   
“A world that existed two days ago.” He deadpanned.   
Point taken.   
“Well, a lot’s changed since then.” I moved off the bike. “If you’re going to be apart of the Lakewood Six then you have to know we work as a team. No one gets left behind. Even if you are new.” I marched past him, a little ticked off that he thought I should stay here and just be dainty.   
He followed. “Hold up, are you mad at me because I don’t want you to die?”  
“No.” My voice was gruff with frustration. My arms folded across my chest as we walked forward.   
He scoffed. “Could’ve fooled me.” A few seconds of silence passed before he said, “Look, we’re about to probably die so if there’s something on your mind just say it.”   
I huffed. “Fine,” I looked over at him. “I know we don’t know each other very well, but I expected you to know me a little better than that. I’m not the kind of girl that’s going to sit around and wait to be rescued. Not anymore.” I was a little disappointed he didn’t seem to know that.   
And he didn’t have to know that. I knew I was being unfair, but could he give me a little more credit.  
“Brooke,” He sighed. “I think you’re quite capable of doing things yourself, but that doesn’t mean you should run head first into danger. Or that I’d want to put you in danger.” His tone was a bit clipped. His eyes stared forward. “I kind of thought you figured that out by now.”   
Wait, was he mad at me now?   
I studied his profile. His jaw was clenched, his fists were by his side. If we were about to die there shouldn’t be any bad blood in the air.   
My hand reached for his wrist, then slid my fingers down until he opened his hand.   
He looked at me with conflicted eyes for a few moments before he pulled me to him. When his mouth met mine I was too surprised to do anything besides stand there. His lips tugged on mine fiercely until I leaned into it. My heart fluttered under the high he had elicited in me. His hands tightened on my waist so hard there would probably be bruises later. An involuntary moan came from me as his tongue found mine. I placed my hands on his toned stomach, tempted to run my hands along his abs, but a thought popped into my head.   
I wasn’t sure what kind of kiss this was. Did he kiss me because he wanted to or did he kiss me because we were about to die?  
My hands pushed his chest away. “What the hell?” I demanded.   
He gave a lazy grin, then walked forward without anything to say.   
Way to mindfuck me.   
“Are you going to say anything?”   
He glanced at me. “We’re probably about to die. You kissed me back. I had to know, alright.”   
Part of me was shocked because I hadn’t expected him to kiss, especially this early in our budding friendship. He knew that I still had to figure things out with Jake, who I was pretty sure I was in love with at one point. Now, I’m not so sure. Not if he continued to treat me this way. The other part of me, the part that recognized Stavo’s confidence could totally believe it.   
“Well, you can’t kiss me again. I’m with Jake.” As I said the words I knew they weren’t true, but I still felt obligated to say them.   
His brow rose. “Then why’d you kiss me back?”   
A sense of deja vu passed between us. The night at the movies he said almost the same thing. The only difference was this time I wanted to kiss him back. And I definitely did.   
Guilt filled my chest. For real, I shouldn’t feel guilty because Jake admitted to sleeping around in Mexico. We were broken up, but I figured we’d make our way back to each other. Maybe I was wrong. Regret placed the guilt. We should’ve never taken that step from friends to something more. It ruined everything.   
“Hey,” Stavo muttered. “I didn’t mean to make you upset.” He wore a tight grimace. “That was stupid.”  
My head shook. “No, it’s fine.”   
“Oh...kay.”   
Awkwardness filled the air.   
We walked the rest of the way in silence. As we closed in on the barn the seriousness of the situation returned with the kiss forgotten. The dark trees bleeded into the night sky. The sounds of the country surrounded us, reminding me that there was still life in this area. Even if we died tonight there would still be life here.   
The door was half opened.   
Stavo grabbed my wrist and pulled me behind him. I looked around us for any sign of the killer as we entered the ill lightened barn. My eyes adjusted after a few moments.   
“Do you see him?” I whispered while I trailed behind Stavo.  
His head shook. “No.”   
A loud clanking came from nearby.   
We jumped, but I was the only one that screamed.   
Stavo shot me a look.   
“What?” I said defensively. “He’s toying with us, you know.”  
We crept through the whole barn with no sign of Noah. Extreme worry set in.   
“Did he already kill him?”   
“I sure hope not.” He searched around us. “If he did then we came to die for nothing.”   
I gave him a look.  
“You know what I mean.” He shot back.   
After a few more moments of my heart was literally in my throat, I stepped from behind Stavo.   
“Where is he?!” I yelled.   
Stavo turned around and placed his hand over my mouth with wide eyes. “Are you crazy?”  
I shoved it away. “Probably, but I’m sick of playing these games!” I walked to the middle of the barn and walked in a circle. “Where the hell are you, Branson?!”   
“Brooke-”  
“I’ll give you a hint,” Branson said. “The fresh air will do a body good.”  
Stavo and I shared a look before we ran for the door.   
“Noah!” I called.   
“We should go for the woods.”  
Noah did say he was lost in there when he called me.   
“Noah!”   
“Noah!” He yelled.   
His hand grabbed mine so that I could keep up. At least, that’s what I told myself.  
“Noah! Where are you?”   
We looked around for him for a few minutes with no sign of him. My mind went to the darkest place it could go.   
“I can’t do this again.” I voiced. “I can’t lose someone else.”   
His hand tightened around mine, which made me feel a little better. He nudged my shoulder. “If anyone can do it, it’s you.”   
My eyes slid to his, I stared at him in surprise. Did he really believe that? I didn’t think anyone believed in me, quite frankly. Here was Stavo, a guy I just met, and he seemed to speak only truth. Ergo, he believed in me.   
He looked over my head and stilled, then pulled me along with a determined speed.   
I glanced behind us to find the killer about a yard away. “Shit.”   
Stavo pushed me in front of him. “Go!” He instructed. “Look for Noah!”   
I turned around once I realized he wasn’t following me. “What are you doing?”   
He stood in place. “Just go, Brooke!”   
The killer was gaining on him.  
My heart froze in place. “Stavo, run!”   
Instead of running toward me he ran toward the killer.   
“Don’t!” I ran back to him.  
“Find Noah!” He yelled.   
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Part of me knew he was right that I should find Noah, but the part that didn’t want to lose him told the part that wanted to find Noah to shove it.   
On instinct, I ran after them.   
Branson circled Stavo with a knife. He looked up at me in surprise, which gave Stavo time to charge him. They fell to the hard forest floor. Stavo punched the crap out of him while I grabbed the knife from his hand. I kicked his side until I was sure I fractured something. It was almost too easy.   
Stavo pinned him to the ground, he looked up at me as I stood over them. “Take the mask off.”   
A streak of excitement raced through me. I bent forward. “This ends now, Branson.” I yanked the mask off. I aimed the knife at his head.  
“Wait wait wait!” He held his hands in front of his face.   
Only it wasn’t Branson.   
I took a step back. “Who the hell are you?”   
“My name’s Joey. Someone on the internet hired me to scare you guys.” He rushed out.   
I stared at him in disbelief.  
Stavo punched him square in the jaw, then grabbed him by the shirt. “Where’s Noah?”   
Fear stared back at us. “I don’t-I don’t know. Noah Foster?” He panicked. “I don’t know anything.” He gulped. “I’m sorry. I thought this was just a cool prank. You know, prank the Lakewood Six. Funny.” He gave a nervous laugh.   
Stavo and I looked at each other. He sighed then let the kid go. “If he doesn’t know where Noah is then that means the real killer still has him somewhere.” He rose to his feet.   
My hand rubbed my temples. “This is too much.”   
Joey quickly stood and ran away in terror.   
Stavo picked up a middle sized branch and chucked it at him.   
He fell down and stayed down for a second then popped back up with a, “Fuck you!”   
Despite the situation, I laughed.   
Stavo grinned at me.   
“Good one.” I held my fist out.  
He pounded it. “Back at ya.” We started to walk again. “I thought you were going to skewer his head.”   
I waved the knife. “I totally was.” I smiled in giddiness.   
The killer jumped out as us. We screamed in unison as my knife stabbed at his chest.  
The Brandon James mask came off. Noah stood in front of us.   
My mind stopped working for a second.  
“Nice try.” He said as he lifted up the cape that had some type of vest underneath. “I really got you guys, didn’t I?” He smirked. He stepped towards us. “But I was never in danger. And you, Brooke, did exactly what I wanted you to do.” His face hardened as he looked at us. “You took my bait.”   
My mind didn’t have time to process that Noah was the killer before I push kicked him back. “Run!” I tugged Stavo along with me this time.   
“This is not happening.” Stavo noted.  
How could this be? Noah couldn’t be the killer...he was too Noah to be the killer!   
My mind played back to when he called me in panic and how he screamed when the killer did something to him. It could’ve been easy to switch over to the voice changer app. That meant that Branson wasn’t the killer. That mean one of my best friends was the killer. That meant that Noah tried to kill me. He tried to kill us at Stavo’s house. And he wanted to succeed this time.   
“Brooke!” He yelled. “Don’t be mad!”   
I glanced back to verify he was running after us. He was. Shit.  
“Come on.” Stavo dragged me in a different direction. One that involved us running up a hill.   
“Fuck me.” I complained.  
“Maybe later.”   
“I’d slap you, but I’m afraid that’d only turn you on more.”   
He winked. “You have no idea.”   
My eyes rolled.   
“Guys,” Noah called. “Stop, it wasn’t real!”   
That’s something the killer would say.   
“Leave us alone you psycho!” I yelled behind us.   
I tripped over an unsuspecting root and tumbled down the hill, losing all the progress we made. I landed on my back with the wind knocked out of me.   
Noah stood over top of me.  
Fear spiked in me as I crawled backwards.   
“Stay away from her!” Stavo barged down the hill after me.   
Noah looked at me with a furrowed brow. “Brooke, you can’t seriously think-” He fell forward as Stavo knocked him in the back with a log.   
My leg throbbed in pain from the excess exercise, which could only mean that Stavo was in serious pain after punching that Joey kid...and driving his motorcycle. He hadn’t even complained once.   
Stavo helped me to my feet. “You okay?” He inspected me.   
I nodded even though I was anything but.  
Did this mean we had caught the killer? So this could be done with. The rest of us could move on with our lives-  
Something dropped down on my face. I stilled in shock.  
Stavo looked intensely at whatever was on my face, then we both looked up at the treetops.  
A bloodcurdling scream from me pierced the air at the sight of a dead body sprawled over branches. It was a blonde guy in a yellow sweater vest and khakis. His blood trickled down on my face and near my mouth.  
I spit out his blood in disgust. “Oh my God.”  
Noah came to his senses, then looked up at the body. He let out a high pitched scream.   
Stavo put some distance between him and us. “Stay back, Foster.” He glanced back at me. “Give me the knife.”   
My eyes widened. “I don’t have the knife.”  
“You were just holding it a moment ago.”   
“Yeah, that was before we started running around. I must’ve dropped it.”   
My phone dinged in my pocket.   
Unknown: You mean this knife?   
Below was a picture of the killer dangling the knife in his hand with trees behind him.  
My eyes went to Noah and widened. He didn’t have a phone in his hands. I slapped Stavo’s arm incessantly. “It’s not Noah. The killer just sent me this.”   
Noah let out a half crazed laugh. “That’s what I’ve been telling you guys.” He complained. “How could you really think I was the killer?”   
Stavo pushed him back a few feet. “Then what the hell were you doing? You scared the crap out of us.”  
He held up his hands. “Alright. I admit this was probably not the best approach, but I had to test you guys.”   
I tried to wrap my mind around all of this, but it just wasn’t happening.   
With a huff, I pushed through the trees. “We have to get out of here. Branson is around here somewhere.”   
We ran for our rides.   
“So that call was fake and all of this was fake?” I demanded.  
He nodded. “Obviously, not the body back there. But we all said we would become prepared for this new killer and we haven’t done squat yet. What if this was real? What he really had me? The both of you would be dead because we don’t have anything planned.” He breathed hard. “We need a plan. We need to have each other’s backs or he’ll start ticking us off one by one.”   
I could completely understand his endgame, but his methods sucked.   
“You’re officially on my shit list.” I told him.   
“Yeah, not cool, Foster.” Stavo said, but a few seconds later he grinned. “Actually, that was pretty awesome.”   
Noah grinned at him.   
They high fived.   
I shot them both a dirty look. “Oh, get a room.”   
Stavo cut me a look. “Are you jealous?”   
My eyes narrowed. Brashly, I brought my foot in front of him.   
He fell to the ground with a groan.   
I stopped and laughed. Yeah, that made me feel better.   
“What’s that?” Noah asked.  
I looked up to see the killer barreling out of the woods with a weapon of some sort in his hand.   
“Shit.” Stavo realized who was behind us. He shot up.  
We ran for our vehicles.   
“Get in the car with Noah!” He told me. “I’ll ride my bike.”   
Sure, the car was the safer option in theory, but if I was bait I’d feel safer with Stavo more so than Noah. No offense to Noah, but he didn’t have much muscle mass.  
Noah jumped into his jeep.   
“No way.”  
Stavo started his bike with a strong kick.  
“I’m not leaving you alone.” I grabbed ahold of him.  
Noah looked back at us and drove off once he realized I was where I wanted to be.   
I stared at the killer as he came at us from about ten feet from away when the bike moved forward. My arms tightened around his body. I rested my chin on his shoulder.  
Adrenaline filled my veins as we rode through the dark country roads, the wind slapped us in the face. We made it. For tonight. The three of us made it out alive.   
Stavo’s hand rested on mine. “You’re without a doubt the most ballsy girl I know.”   
That really wasn’t a compliment from anybody else, but I knew what he meant.   
“I would say same to you, but somehow I think you’d have a sexy one liner to throw back at me.”   
His hand moved back to the handle. “Seriously though, you should’ve went with Noah. It was safer.”   
No, I decided. This was the safest place to be.   
I placed my cheek on his back and enjoyed the warmth. “I trust you.”   
His back stiffened.   
A grin found my lips.   
We pulled up beside Noah.   
I shot him a smile to let him know he was forgiven, even if he methods were extreme. He cared. And he didn’t want us to die. Besides, it was Noah. How could I not forgive him?   
He turned on the radio. Sia’s “Alive.” blared from his radio.   
I laughed at the irony.   
“I didn’t plan this part.” He grinned.   
I felt Stavo laughing rather than I heard him.   
There was a justified giddiness in the air.   
I couldn’t help but sing along because I did survive and Sia somehow knew it.  
We stopped by McDonald’s on the way home for burgers and fries. We ate in the parking lot in comfortable silence. Stavo and I leaned against his parked motorcycle while Noah sat in his seat with the door opened.   
“That seriously couldn’t have gone worse.” He commented.   
My brow rose. “You think?” My voice dripped in sarcasm.   
“I kind of think it was funny in a we almost died sort of way.” Stavo commented.   
My eyes rolled. “You would.” I inhaled a fry.   
“For real, I didn’t mean for it to go that far. I just wanted to show everyone that we’re not prepared. Just because we know there’s a killer in town doesn’t mean we’re any more prepared than we were three months ago.”  
I nodded. “Point taken, but maybe next time, try a less life threatening tactic. You scared me half to death.” I gave a brief laugh.  
Stavo nudged me with his shoulder. His head gestured to a group of girls as they pointed at us and took pictures. They smiled amongst themselves.   
His hand pulled me closer to him, our hips now pressed together as he grinned at the cameras.  
My elbow hit his chest, but I didn’t scoot away.   
Noah’s eyes narrowed at us as he grinned, then he directed his gaze at me.   
My eyes threatened him not to open his big, dorky, know-it-all mouth.  
“I think we might be internet famous.” Stavo turned his eyes on me.   
I shrugged. “We were trending on Twitter earlier. They’re calling us Brostavo.” Even though I willed it not to my face turned a bit red. “Can’t imagine why people would want us to be together.” I averted my eyes to the side.  
He leaned down and took a big chunk of my burger.   
I gaped at him. “Why?” I smacked his shoulder as hard as I could.  
He laughed. “Payback for last night.”   
I thought back to when he offered me some of his burger and I bit off more than I was supposed to. This was fair, I suppose.   
My eyes met his. “That’s a one time thing. Got it?”   
He nodded in amusement. “Yes, ma’am.” He smirked.  
We stared at each other long enough for me to forget we were in the parking lot of Micky Dee’s.   
Noah cleared his throat. “Should I like rent you two a hotel room or do you want to do it in the back of my car?”   
“Funny, Foster.” Stavo said.  
I thought about moving over a bit, but my body didn’t want to work, so I stayed in place.   
“You know we have to report that guy dead, right?” I brought up a few minutes later after we all finished our food.   
Stavo grabbed for my empty bag, then walked to the trashcan. “How are we going to do that without snitching on ourselves?”   
I looked to Noah because he was the smart one.   
He shrugged.   
“Now you’re quiet?”   
He gave me a pointed look. “To be fair, my parents don’t care how late I’m out.” He started his car. “So bye.” He pulled off abruptly.  
Stavo chuckled as he walked the short distance back to his bike. His eyes scanned me up and down. “You ready to go home?”   
“I guess.”   
We did have school tomorrow. That was no doubt going to be fun. We were sure to be the talk of the hallways. Great.  
He kick started the bike. It roared to life under us. To be honest, I liked it. I liked how the bike felt underneath me. I liked how good it felt to wrap my arms around him. I liked the thrill I felt while riding it. I liked him.   
The realization wasn’t one that I was shocked at, but it was one I didn’t want to be true. There was entirely too much going on right now in my life, in all of our lives. My love life was already in shambles, I didn’t need to add Stavo to the mix.   
We rode in silence to my house, but he stopped about a block away so the motorcycle wouldn’t wake the neighbors or my dad.   
I swung my leg over the seat, then went to stand in front of his motorcycle.   
He stared at me without saying anything. The sight of him on that big black bike did everything for my libido.   
I panicked under his gaze. “Okay, bye.” I headed towards my house.   
“Brooke,” He pulled on the end of my shirt and yanked me back to him. One of his arms wrapped around me into a hug.   
He smelled good, I realized with my nose buried in his chest. My eyes fluttered while I realized I had to go put what daddy found in my underwear drawer to use. His mouth rested in the crook of my neck for a few seconds, his warm breath fanned across my skin before he pulled away to look into my eyes.   
“Text me when you get inside.”   
The words hit a little too close on the nose for my liking.   
I tried to hide my grin. “Don’t worry about that.” I promised.   
My head tilted to the side as I assessed him. I memorized the shape of his arms, the stocky built of his chest, the thick mass of his neck, those sarcastic lips, right up to his brown eyes. Spank bank uploaded.   
“Night.” I winked because I was a tease.   
I could feel his gaze on my ass, which is where I wanted it if I were being totally honest. I could be confused about my feelings and still want him to pay me some attention.   
Surprisingly, I made it into the house as easily as I made it out of the house. The lights were off except for the kitchen light that always stayed on at night, I assumed my dad had gone asleep. When I tiptoed through the living room the light flicked on.   
I gasped, then relaxed when I saw my dad. “Thanks for the heart atta-” I paused when I realized who sat next to him. My heart stopped in my chest. “Mom?” 

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment :)


	7. Monday

The song for this chapter is Matt Corby - Monday (You can listen to the Paste Studios version or the version that’s on his official YouTube channel MattCorbyau both versions are excellent but slightly different) 

When I woke up the next morning for school I layed in bed longer than normal. The events of last night played in my mind over and over until I was late for school. The last few days had been hard enough to comprehend let alone my mom coming home unexpectedly.   
There was a knock on my door. “Honey,” My dad called. “Are you up?”  
Truth be told, I hardly slept through the night. I tossed and turned and woke in hot flashes. All together I probably got about two hours of sleep, mostly because I sat awake as long as I could in hopes Jake would get back to me, but he never did. I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. He cared about me, I knew that. So why was he being like this? Had I done something wrong?   
My dad opened the door. “Brooke?”   
I turned my head to look at him. “Yeah?”  
He looked at me carefully and sighed. “You don’t have to go to school today if you don’t want to.”  
And sit around here all day? No thanks.   
“I’ll get ready.” I sat up with no energy at all. “I just need some coffee.”   
“I’ll go get you some, just made a fresh pot.” He backed out of the room.   
I walked over to the door. “Daddy,” I waited for him to turn around. “Is she still here?”   
He nodded. “In the guestroom. You should say something before you leave.” He descended the stairs.   
With a huff I closed my door. By the time I was out of the shower a hot cup of coffee sat on my desk. I sipped it as I got dressed. Today was a lazy day if there ever was one. Even if I hadn’t wasted enough time in my thoughts this morning I doubted I would’ve wanted to doll myself up. Simply, I went with a pair of black jeans, a red sweater, and black high tops. I couldn’t forget my gold Cartier bracelet. My hair was still drying so I combed it for a few minutes. My eyes slid to the person in the mirror. I wasn’t sure if I should feel guilty for last night, for everything that had happened with Stavo in the past two days, but I did. It didn’t matter that Jake and I weren’t together anymore officially. I still missed him and I still wanted to be with him.   
Maybe I should take Stavo up on his offer to get his dad to check up on him. The thought only made me feel worse. I knew Stavo liked me, perhaps more than I liked him, and asking him to do this would feel like I was using him. So I decided to wait on it for another day or two.  
On my way downstairs the guest room door opened. My mom stepped into the hall in her pale pink robe. Dark circles took over her eyes and her skin was paler than it had been a few weeks ago. At one time I would’ve called my mother beautiful, regal even. Now, her drug and booze addictions weighed her down. And you could tell she knew it, too.   
“Hi,” I said as I walked down the stairs.   
“Brooke, can we talk?”   
I looked back up at her and proceeded as calmly as I could. “I’m not ready to talk to you just yet.”   
She moved closer. “Come on, honey. That’s not fair. I made a few mistakes. I’m trying to make up for them now.”   
My head shook. “No, a mistake is forgetting your kid’s dance recital or picking up the wrong chips at the grocery store.” I stared into her eyes. “You lied to me and you made daddy lie to me, too.” I pointed my accusing finger at her. “Here, I thought he wasn’t the one that cared, but it was you all along.”   
She recoiled as if the information slapped her in the face. I suppose it did because if she had it her way I’d still be holding a grudge against daddy. He was just complicit because he actually cared about her enough to go along with her crazy plan.   
“Look, I know I have a lot to make up for. I know that’s going to take time, but I’d like for you to try.”  
“No offense, mom, but I have been trying for months.” I turned away from her. “I have to get to school.” I took the stairs as fast as I could to get away from her.   
Daddy leaned against the counter with his attention turned on his phone.   
I kissed his cheek. “Love you, daddy.” A smile formed on my lips.  
He lifted his eyes to mine and grinned. “You’re still grounded.”  
My smile fell. “Daddy.” I complained.   
I could not be grounded in this house with him and mom until he said otherwise. That was torture. I’d willingly announce to the killer my location.  
He gave me a fatherly look. “Brooke, you were out late last night with your friends when I thought you were upstairs. After what happened to you I have to be more strict.”   
I pouted. “But-”  
“No but’s. You’re to come straight home after school.”  
My hands propped on my hips. “Don’t be a buzzkill, daddy. I have a social life to obtain.” A thought popped into my head. “Besides, I’ll have an escort with me at all times.”   
His phone dinged, getting his attention. “Home after school. That’s final.”   
I groaned in defiance as I rushed out of the door to my black Range Rover. Second period was half over with. If I hurried I could make Psych class.   
The halls were mostly empty as I entered the school. My police escort followed behind a good enough distance that he wasn’t hovering. When the bell rung a few seconds later to signal the end of second period I rushed to my locker. Even with my back to everyone I could feel a thousand stares on me. That’s about what I suspected.   
Audrey came up to me. “Hey, you never answered your texts last night.” She gave me a cold look. “You were with Stavo and Noah and you didn’t invite me?”   
I picked out my Psych textbook, then shut my locker. I gave her an apologetic look. “Sorry, it was spur of the moment.” My arm wrapped around her shoulders. “Besides, I know you don’t like Stavo.”   
“It’s not that I don’t like him. He’s just sketchy. I just don’t think it’s a coincidence that you were attacked at his house.”   
My face gave away the shock I felt at her accusation. “You can’t be serious?”   
She shrugged. “We don’t really know this guy, Brooke. How well do you know him?”   
I felt defensive of him because he hadn’t done anything wrong. “Get a grip. He’s our friend now. He was attacked, too.”   
Her dark eyes held a faraway look. “Just watch your back with him, okay?”   
I nodded to appease her. “Yeah, sure.”  
She slapped my ass playfully, then headed in the opposite direction to her next class.   
I giggled.  
“Did Audrey just smack your butt?” Emma asked with a slight grin as she came up beside me.   
“Yeah,”   
We hugged each other as we walked to class together.  
“So...” She started. “I saw the pics on Twitter.” Her brows lifted suggestively. “Anything you feel like sharing?”   
My face flushed. “No, not really.”   
She laughed. “It’s okay to like him, you know.”   
My face scrunched up. “I don’t like him.”   
She nodded, but clearly didn’t believe me. “So are we all going to get patrols now?”  
I looked behind at the escort following us, his eyes searched the halls for imminent danger.   
“I think that’s the plan.”  
As soon as we rounded the corner I caught sight of Stavo. Lord help me. He wore a fitted black t-shirt and green cargo pants. Usually, I thought cargo pants were a fashion faux pas, but he wore them well and looked sinfully delicious. His backpack was flung over his shoulder, his head was held high enough to showcase his adam’s apple. He hadn’t spotted me yet, but I noticed a lot of the female population looking at him with interest now.   
Seriously? They hadn’t payed him a lick of attention before, but now that he was linked to the Lakewood Six all eyes were on him.   
My eyes rolled as my hand rubbed the tension from the back of my neck. I closed my eyes for a second to revel in the pleasure and when I opened them Stavo was staring right at me, intent heavy in his dark gaze.   
I felt Emma pull away more than I saw her leave.   
“Bye.” She muttered, clearly amused as she went into class.  
We met in the middle, a few feet away from the door.   
I flipped my hair over my shoulder as I leaned against the wall. “Hey,”   
“You don’t look so hot.” Was the first thing out of his mouth.   
My brow rose as I punched his arm. “Thanks.”  
He grinned. “Were you thinking about me all night?” He teased.   
“I wish.” I complained. My eyes narrowed.   
It was like my foot lived in my mouth around him.   
He laughed. “Was it Fitzgerald? He text you back?”   
My eyes rolled. “Sadly, no. My mom is back.”  
His forehead creased in confusion. “I thought you said she was away.” He whispered as he leaned forward.   
“I did, she just popped back up last night.”   
“Isn’t that a good thing?”   
I propped my hip up. “In theory.”   
The warning bell rung.   
We headed into class. Funnily enough, someone had taken his seat and the only one left was behind mine. Whispers filled the room as we sat down.   
Noah sent us a thumbs up.   
“What did you do?” I mouthed at him.  
He grinned cheekily, then turned to talk to Zoe.   
Five minutes in the class I came to the conclusion I didn’t like this set up not one bit. I could practically feel Stavo’s eyes burning holes into my skin while I sat rigidly in my chair. Nope, this had to be a one time thing. I couldn’t even pay attention to the lecture with him so close. He’d have to sit clean across the room, that way I could glance at him every now and then.   
Ms. Lang went on and on about Dream Journals. I hadn’t even started doing them to be honest. I kind of had more important things to worry about. Like staying alive.   
“Any volunteers to discuss their dream from last night?”   
I couldn’t even remember my dreams half the time, so how was recording them going to help me face my demons?   
“Stavo,” Ms. Lang picked. “Sense your particularly engaged today how about you share your dream from last night?”  
I hated when teachers did that. We get that you’re trying to prove a point, but like bye.   
“That’s easy, Ms. Lang,” He shifted in his chair. “It was all about Brooke Maddox.”  
Everyone turned to look at me, which is what he wanted. Dick.  
Ms. Lang’s surprise was frozen on her face, but she nodded and called on someone else. A few people chuckled as another classroom wide whisper broke out.   
My hand snaked behind me and flicked his knee as hard as I could.   
He leaned forward and whispered so only I could hear, “Relax, I’m not going to bite you.”   
I couldn’t help the lewd images that ran through my mind.   
“Not unless you want me to.”   
I cleared my throat as I crossed my legs under my desk.   
He chuckled.  
I could only imagine the smirk on his face right now. Oh, I’d definitely get him back.  
Emma snickered from her desk. Okay, maybe she could hear us, but thankfully she didn’t do anything to embarrass me.   
Once the bell rung I grabbed my textbook and placed my bag over my shoulder.   
Emma gave him a friendly grin. “That was interesting.”   
He grinned at her, his dimples were on display. He had dimples? Since when and why hadn’t I noticed?   
She flushed as she looked at me. “See you at lunch.” She waved at Stavo, then walked out with Kieran waiting in the hall.   
“You’re an ass.” I pushed past him.   
I wasn’t really mad and he knew it.   
He trailed behind me. “That was funny and you know it.”   
I glanced back at him. “It wasn’t you the whole class was gawking at.”  
His head tilted to the side. “They were looking anyway, might as well have fun with it.”   
I gave a small laugh.   
Our escorts waited for us in the hall. We only had one class together, so I guess this was goodbye for now.   
“What are you doing after school?” He continued to walk beside me.   
My face scrunched up. “My dad grounded me for last night.” I looked behind us to make sure no one was listening. “What did your dad say when you got home?”   
His eyes looked straight ahead, his jaw clenched. “He wasn’t home.” He sighed. “He was working.” He looked down at me. “Like usual.”   
Back at the hospital he told me that he had a strained relationship with his dad in Phoenix, but I didn’t know if it had gotten any better since they moved here. Trust me, I could relate to the busy parental work schedule. Mostly, you got used to it once you got past the notion they didn’t like you. But by the rigid nature of Stavo’s jaw I could tell he hadn’t.   
My hand reached for his in support. “Your dad cares about you, you know.”   
He nodded. “I know.” He wore a wry grin.   
To distract him, I sighed. “Fine, you can come over after school.” I grinned.  
His brow rose. “Isn’t it a bit early to meet your mom?”  
My hand ripped away from his in playful annoyance. “She’d like you. She dated a foreigner once.” I grinned cheekily.  
Okay, I shouldn’t have said that. I knew he was from Phoenix. Joke or no joke I worried that I offended him.  
His brown eyes widened like he hadn’t expected that come out of my mouth, but his dimples popped out. “And what about her daughter? Are you into that?”   
“Why would I deny anybody this?” I flipped my hair over my shoulder. “So you like white girls I see.”   
We were really having the interracial dating conversation. It was more awkward than I imagined.   
“You’ll have to wait and see.” He slapped my back like I was a bro. “See you later.”  
He did not just do that. I wasn’t the slap on the back kind of girl and he knew that. Clearly, he liked to play mind games, but so did I.   
“Later.”  
I pulled out my phone and checked my messages. My twitter notifications were blowing up. Were we still trending? And still no text from Jake.   
“Hey,”   
I looked up from my phone to see Zoe walking next to me. “Oh, hey.”   
She offered a soft smile. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry to hear about the other day at Stavo’s house. You got really lucky.”   
Luck had nothing to do with it. Is that what people thought? I actually fought back and people were calling me lucky?   
“Thanks, Zoe.”   
She lingered with expectant eyes.  
“Yes?”   
“Are you and Stavo like a thing now?” She grinned. “Because the other night you couldn’t stand him.” She laughed.  
I recalled that very clearly.  
“No, we’re not a thing.”   
We were? No, we weren’t a thing. We were friends. Flirty friends, but that’s it.   
To take the focus off of me, I asked, “How are you and Noah? Any progress romantically?”   
She looked to the side. “Sadly, no.” She perked up a bit. “But we have been texting since Friday, so maybe he’ll ask me to hang out this weekend.”   
I liked the idea of Noah and Zoe. Normally, I wouldn’t have guessed she liked him. He didn’t seem her type, but for some reason he was. That’s not to say he wasn’t a great guy, he was. He was smart, funny, and caring. Cute in a dorky way. But he was like a brother to me. So ew.   
I nudged her shoulder. “I’ll put in a good word for you.” I cracked a grin.   
She sighed in relief. “Thank you, I didn’t know how to ask you.”   
I waved it off. “I don’t mind. You guys would be cute together.”   
“Well, ever since Riley died I’ve been hesitant to approach him.” She paused when she saw my face at the mention of Riley. “Brooke, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound insensitive.”   
“I know.” I muttered. She really didn’t, but it brought on a rush of memories from junior high up until her death and how I wasn’t there in her last moments.   
We parted ways with a wave.   
Lunch rolled around and I still hadn’t heard anything from Jake. Someone was playing hard to get and I didn’t like it. As promised by Sheriff Acosta the escorts followed us around. I doubted I’d be shishkabobbed in Math, but you never know.   
After getting my food, I started for our usual spot outside when I spotted a lonely Stavo sitting by himself in the corner. He was so anti, but it was kind of cute as he drew on his iPad.   
I headed over to him and placed my tray on the table. “Why are you being Lonely Boy?”   
His brow rose. He locked his screen in a hurry. “Why are you quoting Gossip Girl to me?”   
I knowing smirk played on my lips. “That was a test and you failed. You watched PLL on your own, didn’t you?” My hand propped on my hip.  
He held his hands up. “You caught me. I made Cage with it.”   
I grinned. “Do you want to eat with us outside or you going to be a loser and eat by your lonesome?” I teased.   
He looked almost shocked at the invitation. “Uh, I don’t think Audrey likes me very much. And I don’t really know your friends all that well.”  
“That’s why you’re going to eat with us. Duh.” My eyes assessed the nervous set to his mouth. “Are you nervous they won’t like you?”  
His jaw clenched. He scoffed. “No.”   
“Aww, you are.” I smiled. I reached over and pinched his cheek.  
He blushed as his eyes rolled. “Yeah yeah.”   
My head gestured to the door. “Come on. They’re not as bad as you think.”  
Reluctantly, he grabbed his tablet and stood.   
We walked side by side. I could hear the hushed whispers fall over the cafeteria.   
“Besides,” I looked up at him. “Noah has a friend crush on you, so you’ll have someone to talk to when I ignore you.”  
He gave a tight smile. “Gee, thanks.”   
We walked through the doors, leaving the AC behind for fresh air and bugs.   
He leaned down. “Do your friends know about last night?” He whispered.   
“Not yet. I don’t really know if we should tell them. I mean, I know we said there wouldn’t be any secrets, but that was awful.”  
“So what are we going to do about that dead guy in the trees?”   
“I was kind of hoping you’d have an answer for that being the Sheriff’s son and all.”   
He shook his head. “Either we tell my dad what happened or we don’t. They’ll find the body one way or another.”   
I nodded. “Maybe we should talk to Noah before we decide anything?”  
He nodded.   
I felt my friend’s eyes on us as we sat down on the blanket. I could tell Stavo was nervous by how stiff he was.   
“Hey, guys.” I greeted with a tight smile.   
They stared at Stavo with curious eyes while Audrey glared at him.  
I shot Emma a look as I pulled my legs to the side.   
She cleared her throat. “So Stavo, how are you liking Lakewood so far?”  
He breathed out a nervous sigh. “Uh, aside from all the murders it’s nice.”   
Kieran laughed.   
Emma shot him a look.   
He wiped the grin off his face. “It was funny.” He muttered.   
Awkward tension filled the air as we sat quietly.  
“So when do you want to come on The Morgue?” Noah asked.  
Audrey smacked the back of his head. “Way to overkill.”   
I laughed. My eyes looked over Stavo to find him fighting a grin.   
“What do you want to do for your birthday?” I asked Kieran.   
He shrugged. “Something small. Just Emma and me.” He hugged her to him with a kiss on the head.   
She grinned lovingly at him.  
They made me sick.   
“Gross.” I said.  
“Way to be lame.” Audrey chimed in.  
We threw food at them. They raised their arms to shield themselves.   
Stavo laughed.   
I looked at him with satisfaction.  
He turned his brown eyes on me with a silent thanks.   
I nodded, then inched closer to him.  
“How about we throw a party instead?” Noah suggested.   
My head snapped up at talk of a party. “I’m all for getting drunk, but maybe not with a new killer in town?”   
Noah and Stavo shared a look. “You’re right.” He said. “A party makes for easy pickings.”  
“But if we have a no wandering off rule we should be good.” Stavo added. He sat with his knees propped up.   
Everyone looked at him with food for thought in their eyes.   
“Not a bad idea.” I voiced. “Plus we have our escorts tailing us at every turn.”  
We all looked around us at the six escorts scattered in a perimeter around us.  
Kieran cleared his throat. “But what fun is a chaperoned party that we can’t drink alcohol at?”  
We all sagged at that realization.   
“In all honesty, I think my dad would look the other way. As long as we’re not being malignant we should be fine.”   
“Where are we having this party exactly?” Audrey asked.  
Emma raised her hand. “My mom is going to be covering a shift out of town. She won’t be back until late. We can have it at my house.”   
“Great, but how are we going to get the booze?” Noah asked.   
Eli popped in out of nowhere. “I can get it. I have a fake I.D.”   
Kieran scowled at him. “Were you eavesdropping?”   
“Yeah, sort of.” He admitted as he sat down.   
Emma snorted a laugh.   
He grinned at her.   
Kieran narrowed his eyes at them.   
Stavo and I shared a curious look and laughed. He leaned back so that our hands were an inch apart.  
“How’s Jake?” Audrey asked loudly.   
I ripped my eyes away from Stavo to stare at her. She obviously wasn’t comfortable with the fact that Stavo and I were becoming friends. What was her problem with him, anyway? It wasn’t like he had a problem with her. At least, I didn’t think so.   
“Uh, I don’t know.” I shrugged. “He won’t answer my texts. So that’s fine.”   
Everyone gave me apologetic looks like I was a lost puppy. Um, could they not?   
Stavo’s hand inched towards mine until our fingers overlapped.   
I fought to keep the smile off my face. “It’s fine though,” I admitted. “I told him to stay in Mexico.”   
Everyone nodded except Audrey. She just looked at the ground with a sour look.   
“When’s your birthday?” Stavo asked Kieran.   
“Friday. We just have to all survive until then.” He joked dryly.   
I shouldn’t have laughed, but I did.   
Slowly, but surely everyone else joined in.   
I was about to suggest that Noah ask Zoe to the party when Stavo beat me to it.  
“Noah, I think Zoe would make a good date to the party.”   
Everyone stared at me like I was about to scream.  
Noah’s eyes narrowed at Stavo, then glanced at me. He sat a little straighter. “Then maybe you should ask her.” His voice was clipped.  
Aww, he was being protective of me. Obviously everyone misunderstood what Stavo meant.  
“No, you idiot.” I chimed in. “He means Zoe likes you, so do something about it.”   
Noah looked at Audrey with confusion. “Did you know about this?”   
She held her hands up in surrender. She laughed. “Not a clue. Don’t know why she likes you though. You’re kind of weird.” She joked.  
Regardless of her joking tone he looked hurt by the comment.   
My heart broke at his sad face. “Aww.”   
Emma balked. “Audrey!” She hit her shoulder.   
Audrey shrugged. “What? It was a joke.” She tried to fight her laughter.   
“You’re adorable, Noah.” I winked at him.  
He fixed his hair and looked to the side, his fingers played with the grass. “Thanks.” A blush reddened his face.  
Stavo and Kieran chuckled.  
“Noah,” Audrey patted his shoulder. “I was kidding, you’re a catch.”   
His face turned even redder. He made a face at her. “Gee, thanks.”   
Stavo leaned close to whisper into my ear, “Does he like her?”  
I shrugged. “No idea.” I mouthed.   
The rest of lunch went smoothly. It wasn’t as awkward as when we sat down. Everyone except Audrey seemed to like Stavo. I’d have to ask her what her deal was later.   
When it was time to go home I realized I was grounded and pursed my lips. A work around popped into my head.   
I sent out a group text.  
Me: Kind of grounded. Who wants to hang at my house?  
Noah: I have to work on my script for my next podcast. Plus I have a stack of homework. :/  
Emma: I have to go to work like now. Raincheck?   
Me: Sure  
Audrey: I’m going with Emma to Grind House.  
Kieran: My Aunt’s making me do things around the house. Wish I could get out of it!   
Eli: Count me in.  
I didn’t know how I felt about Eli coming to by house tbh.   
Kieran: Don’t let Eli into your house. Seriously.   
I laughed.  
Emma: Don’t be mean. Eli’s nice.  
Kieran: >:(   
Stavo: Will there be snacks? I can’t come if there aren’t any snacks.   
Me: There will be snacks. Possibly a foot rub.  
Stavo: ;)  
Noah: Ew...get a room.  
Jake: Who’s rubbing who’s feet?!?! >:l   
No one responded to Jake’s angry text. Served him right for treating me the way he did.   
I sent Stavo a private message with my address.  
Me: So...kinda forgot my mother is home. It’s okay if you don’t want to come over :)  
Stavo: If she’s anything like her daughter she’ll love me ;)  
Me: So...she’ll def hate you at first!   
Stavo: Har har har   
Me: Just be at my house in thirty.   
Stavo: Yes ma’am!   
On the way home I ordered pizzas because what guy didn’t want pizza? Even if they just ate pizza they’d still want more pizza. I threw in an order of breadsticks because I was feeling crazy.   
As I walked in the house I mentally prepared myself to deal with my mom. For the most part, I hadn’t thought about her all day. Now I had to interact with her. And Stavo would witness any dysfunctional crazy that aspired between us.   
“I’m home!” I announced. I threw my keys on the kitchen counter and went to the fridge for a water. “Hello?” I walked into the living room.   
Daddy’s car wasn’t here, but I assumed my mom was still here. Unless she couldn’t hack six hours and fled back to rehab. That was a bit harsh, I know, but she lied to me. And she made daddy lie to me. She made me think he didn’t care. She made me want to hate him.   
I climbed the stairs and knocked on the guest room door. A minute went by without an answer when I heard the distinct sound of vomiting. I rushed into the room to find her on the bathroom floor hugging the toilet.   
She looked at the doorway with disappointed eyes. “No, I don’t want you to see me like this.”  
“Mom,” I stepped towards her.  
Her hand rose in the air. “Don’t come any closer. Please.”   
“Do you want some water or something?”   
“I’ll be fine.” She yakked some more in the toilet.   
It almost made me throw up.   
“Go.” She pleaded. “This is normal, sweetheart.”  
With her being in withdrawal it made it kind of difficult to be mad at her. So I stowed my anger and said, “Just call for me if you need anything. My friend is coming over. We’ll be downstairs.” I gave a soft smile as I shut the door and headed back downstairs.   
A few minutes later the pizzas arrived.   
Nerves wracked in me while I waited for Stavo to arrive. I wasn’t sure why I was nervous. I’d been in his room, ridden on his motorcycle, kissed him. Why did him coming to my house seem more intimate than all of those things combined?   
I pulled out my school work while I waited for him.   
My phone buzzed under a sofa pillow.   
Jake: Are you and this Stavo guy seeing each other now?   
Instead of shooting back an ambiguous response, I decided to just leave it alone. Jake had hurt me. I know he cared about me, but he still hurt me. I didn’t do anything to be treated that way. And I sure as hell didn’t have to explain my friendship with Stavo to him.   
The doorbell rang.   
I jumped up to answer the door. My heart hammered in my chest as I swung open the door.   
He stood on the other side with two pints of Ben&Jerry’s. “I know it’s not my oatmeal, but it’ll have to do.”   
In my head, I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and planted one on him. In reality, I rolled my eyes and stepped aside for him to enter.   
“Wow,” He looked around. “Nice place.”   
“Thanks.” I locked the door.  
He sniffed the air. “Ooh, pizza.” He found the kitchen instantly.  
What did I tell you?   
“Please, tell me you have pepperoni and bacon?” He looked back at me.  
I smirked. “But of course.”   
Guys tended to like the same thing. Meat. And lots of it.  
“Where’s your backpack?” I questioned. “This wasn’t a booty call.”   
His brows lifted. “It wasn’t? You promised me a foot rub.”  
“That was just bait to get you here.” I went to the fridge and looked for a soda or something for him. Anything to distract from talk of us getting it on. I knew if I thought about it for too long I’d keep fantasizing. And eventually I’d crack and just drag him upstairs. But my mom was home...so gross.   
He stood behind me, his body heat warmed me up. He placed a strong hand on my hip as he looked down at me. I felt his chest against my back while his warm breath tickled my skin.   
“You having a hard time finding something?” He asked.  
Yeah, I needed a shamwow in my pants tbh.  
“N-no.” I stumbled over my words. “What do you want? To drink, I mean.”   
“Juice. Do you have any?”  
Slowly, I nodded.  
This was getting out of hand. I had to wonder if we did this on purpose or if it just happened? I don’t think he set out to seduce me. Or maybe he did. I didn’t mind, but there was a time and a place for everything and this was not the time or place.   
My hand reached for a bottle of tropicana. I didn’t trust myself to pour him a drink for fear of my hands shaking.  
What was I doing? I seduced a teacher. I was in control of these situations. I was the damn Apex Predator.   
I turned back to him with renewed confidence. “I’ll start you off with the soft stuff.” My gaze drifted to his pants and smirked when I met his eyes. “You can’t handle my juice, sweetie.” I patted his shoulder. I reached for two plates.   
He took the plates from me, then turned me around to face him. Those dark eyes burned into mine with challenge. He leaned closer so that his mouth hovered over mine, but didn’t move to press his lips on mine, so his breath tickled my mouth. His hand tilted my head back and moved an inch closer. It was torture and he knew it.  
“What were you saying?” His deep voice made my insides clench.  
Okay. Maybe he was the Apex Predator in this friendship. If things kept going like this I wouldn’t have a problem with that. At all.  
I knew my eyes begged him to do his worst, but I didn’t care.   
Finally, he pressed his full lips on mine in a delicate fashion. I moaned. It was soft enough that I wanted it harder. He knew that, too.   
When he pulled away, he wore a sexy grin. “Now, I think it’s you that won’t be able to handle my juice.”   
I bit into my bottom lip, then grinned. “We’ll have to wait and see then.” I reached behind me and pushed the plate to his chest. “Now get your pizza and help me with my homework since you apparently finished all of yours in half an hour.”   
He followed me to the living room. “Some of us were born with brains and brawn.” He teased.  
I made a face at him. “Doubtful for you. You’re too pretty to be that smart.” I joked as I plopped down on the sofa. I pointed to his face. “Unless that’s surgical?”   
“You can’t pay to be this pretty, as you put it.” He took a bite of a piece of pizza. There was like six on his plate. “I was in all AP classes in Phoenix, thank you very much.” He reached for my homework binder and stilled when he saw the sketching of ‘Brooke and Jake Forever’ in a heart on the inside.  
Way too kill the mood Fitzgerald.   
“What do you need help with?”   
I sighed. “Like everything. I’ve been a little distracted lately.”   
Even though we didn’t have the same classes he knew everything that I didn’t and probably wouldn’t ever retain. At first, I didn’t think he could successfully teach me because I’d get distracted by his...everything. But he broke it down in the simplest of terms. I mean, I wasn’t dumb by any means, but Science, Math, and Psych went over my head with all the rules and technical terms. He was patient when I needed him to re-explain something or when I just wouldn’t understand and wanted to give up. He wouldn’t let me.   
He said, “You can do this, Brooke.” He had turned his body to me and rested his arm on the back of the couch.   
My legs were propped up on the couch cushion between us, which put a necessary distance between us. “But it’s so boring. Maybe we should just watch PLL.” I reached for my laptop.  
His hand smacked mine. “Don’t do that.” His eyes stared into mine. “Don’t give me that dumb blonde act. I know you’re smarter than this. I’ve seen your Psych test grades.”   
I huffed. “Yeah, that’s because I used Noah’s and Zoe’s notes.”   
He leaned back, his eyes roamed over me. “Look, you’re rich and gorgeous. You know it, too. Your life after high school is probably going to be really easy, no offense. People are going to judge you based on first impressions or just by looking at you. Give them something to be wrong about.”   
What he said hit a nerve. That was something I had been growing more frustrated with as time passed. I didn’t think any of my friends noticed, which was fine because I didn’t feel like talking about it with them. But he noticed after knowing me for three days.  
Worry crossed over his face. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I just-”  
I waved it off. “No. You’re right.” My eyes went to red painted toes. “I don’t know. I just don’t know what I want to do with the rest of my life, so I’m not interested in anything.” I admitted.  
He nodded. “I can understand that.”  
“Please, you know exactly where you want to go to school and what you want to do.”   
He tilted his head, his eyes were soft. “It wasn’t always that way for me. I struggled a lot to find who I was.”   
I layed my head on the back of the couch and stared at him. “How’d you figure it out?”   
He got a faraway look in his eyes as he graced me with one of his genuine smiles that showcased his dimples. “My friends. Mostly Cage. We would go out to the desert, get a little high, and I’d see things in my mind. Things I had to draw. Cage was the one that pushed me to pursue art as something more.” He nodded at the fond memories.   
I grinned to myself, wishing I had what he had. Honestly, my friends didn’t really know me as much as they thought. Or maybe I wouldn’t let them.   
“So are you going to be my ‘Cage’ now?” My brow rose in hope.  
His head shook slightly. “No, that seems like a lot of work. We just met, you know.”   
I laughed. “You’re pretty good at that.”   
He grinned at me. “At what?”   
I stared into his eyes for a moment before I said, “Making me laugh.”   
“Good.”   
My stomach fluttered at the realization that I didn’t just like him. I liked him a lot.   
“Cool.” I muttered.  
He looked at his lap. “Cool.”   
Once we were done with my homework we decided it was PLL time.   
“Didn’t you say your mom was home?”   
I stilled, then shot up. “Crap.” I ran up the stairs. “Mom?” I called with worry thick in my voice. I pushed open the guest room door to find her asleep. She put a water bottle from the mini fridge on the bedside table. The room was as dark as could be in broad daylight. She draped towels over the thin curtains, the covers were over her head. I guess withdrawal made her sensitive to the daylight. Either that or she was becoming a vampire, which was highly unlikely.   
“Mom?” I whispered.   
She groaned, then pushed the covers off her head. “Sweetie, I’m okay. I promise, I just have to get through the next few days and I’ll be good.”  
I really wanted to question that, but seeing her like this made it hard to muster up the sass. So I said, “Okay, if you’re sure.”   
She offered a bleak smile. “I can do this. I’ll make it this time. For you, sweetie.”   
Unwarranted tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them away. My heart broke for her, but I didn’t know what to say.   
“Go be with your friend. Love you, sweetie.”  
I really couldn’t say it back just yet, so I closed the door.   
As soon as I sat back down on the couch, Stavo asked, “What’s wrong?”   
Instead of blowing it off like I usually would with my friends I confided in him because I knew I could. He cared about me.   
“This thing with my mom being home.” My hand rubbed at my tense neck. “She wasn’t supposed to come home. Her nurse, Sydney, said she had a relapse. And when I got home last night she was just sitting here with my dad.”  
His hand took over massaging my neck, which felt too good to be kosher. “So he checked her out of rehab early? Aren’t you still happy to see her?”   
“That’s the thing. I should be, right?” I glanced at him. “I want her to get better obviously, I went to go see her every Saturday when I found out she was there.”   
“You didn’t know she was in rehab?”   
My head shook. “My dad said she was on a vacation. It wasn’t hard to believe.” I thought back to when I thought he might’ve killed her and how Jake helped me disprove that. My heart ached for those days. “When he told me I was so angry at him for lying to me. He wouldn’t go visit her like he should’ve. And I really thought my dad didn’t care anymore.” I bit the inside of my cheek to reign in my emotions. “Then last night she admitted that she got him to lie to me about her vacation. She was the one that didn’t want him there. She was the one that drove us apart.” My head hung in shame. “I treated him awfully.”   
His hand moved down to rub my back. “It’s okay to be conflicted.”   
I nodded. “I know, but I don’t even know how to move forward with her anymore.”   
His jaw clenched. “Coming from someone who would give anything to have met their mother, don’t lock yours out because she messed up.”   
My heart broke for him. Now I just felt like the world’s biggest bitch.   
“Stavo, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so insensitive.”   
“I know.” He nodded. “I just hope you can find a way to forgive her. If not, you’ll regret it one day.”   
How did he become so wise all of a sudden? His life was totally different than mine, I suppose. He had experience and knowledge in the areas that I coasted through. That experience wasn’t gained with ease I was sure.  
My hand found his. “Thank you.”   
His hand squeezed mine. “Any time.”   
“I’m going to hold you to that.”   
“Please do.” He stared at me for a minute, then cleared his throat. “Enough girl chat, let’s watch some PLL.” Excitement filled his voice.   
I snorted out a laugh. “Okay, geez.”   
The living room soon filled with gasps and ‘Oh my God’s’, most of which came from Stavo. When Allie did something shady, which was like every five minutes, he’d look at me and go, “That bitch.”   
Every time I laughed and leaned into into him a little more until we were stretched out on the couch. I threw the shawl that rested on the back of the couch over our legs. He was warm enough to heat me up, but I liked to be toasty. My head laid on his chest while his hand rested on my hip. At first, it was hard to concentrate, but I got used to the constant tingles that traveled up and down my skin.   
His heartbeat against my ear eventually lulled me into a much needed slumber.   
“Are you falling asleep?” He whispered.  
I moved my head enough for him to know I was halfway there.   
“Okay, just don’t drool on my shirt.” He joked.  
“No promises.”   
As he rubbed my back I drifted to sleep with a tiny smile on my face. 

A/N: For anyone that wants to chat with me about the show you can find me on instagram @coach_deniqua and on Twitter @DeniquaNFrye (Stavo’sBrooke) Thanks for reading yall :)


	8. Sweet Nothing

The song for this chapter is Alex Vargas - Sweet Nothing.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing young lady?!” Someone yelled.   
Adrenaline shot through me as I jolted awake and unintentionally toppled onto the floor with a thud. I looked up to find my dad with crazed eyes. Sheriff Acosta stood beside him, but his eyes were way calmer than my dad’s.   
I didn’t understand why he was so up in the air until I caught sight of Stavo behind me. He looked as embarrassed as I felt.  
“We just fell asleep, daddy. Not a big deal.”   
His eye twitched. “Not a big deal? Not a big deal, Brooke?” His voice rose. “You fall asleep on my couch with a guy, in my house, and it’s not a big deal?”  
My head nodded. “Yeah...”  
I thought his head would explode.  
I fought to not laugh. “Okay, it’s not like we were naked or anything.” I sat back on the couch and pointed to my homework binder. “He helped me with my homework, then we watched some TV. It wasn’t like I was giving him a lap dance, daddy.”   
Stavo coughed.   
Sheriff Acosta spoke angry Spanish at his son. Stavo shrugged, then stood to his feet.   
“Sorry about this, Quinn.” He said to my father.  
I wasn’t sure what the problem was. My dad didn’t even know Stavo to be this upset. I knew he hated Jake for a fact and I was slowly becoming okay with that, but Stavo didn’t do anything to deserve my dad’s melt down. I could see if he found us bumping uglies on the couch, but we were literally just sleeping and fully clothed.   
Sheriff Acosta followed his son to the door until Stavo turned around and walked to my father.   
“Sir, I know how that must’ve looked to you, but I swear I would never do anything to disrespect your daughter or you in your own house. My apologies if I offended you.” He held his hand out.  
My dad’s furrowed brow softened until he looked half way normal. He shook Stavo’s hand. “Thank you. I appreciate that.” He looked to me. “I wish Jake would’ve been as respectable as Gustavo seems to be.”   
My hand palmed my face in embarrassment.   
Stavo laughed, then cleared his throat when he realized he shouldn’t have laughed. “We are just friends, sir.” He supplied.  
“I can tell that’s entirely false,” My dad said. “But I appreciate your attempt at candor.”  
“Oh my God.” I complained as I shot off the couch and made my way to the kitchen for a moment of solitude.   
This was not happening.   
I leaned my elbows on the island while my hands covered my eyes. I let out a heavy sigh.   
“Come on, that wasn’t that bad.” Stavo whispered as he entered.   
I could hear our dads talking in the other room.  
“Yeah. Well, your dad wasn’t about to slutshame you in front of people, was he?”  
“If anything, I’m the one that should be more embarrassed.”   
My hands fell from my face. “And why is that?”   
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I was trying to make you feel better.”   
A small grin fell on my face. “My hero.”   
He stared at me for a few moments. “For what it’s worth, I do respect you, Brooke.” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “I know we get a little intense sometimes, but I do respect you.” His eyes willed me to understand. “I really like you, okay. And I know you’re not over Jake and that’s okay.” He nodded, his forehead creased. “So...I’m going to do my best to be your friend until you decide otherwise.”   
All the air left me at his personal statement. I wasn’t sure what to say. My head and my heart tore me into two directions. What was the right response for my situation?   
“Cool?” I made a sheepish face at that.  
He gave a half grin. “Cool.”   
I offered a stiff smile.   
He started for the door, but turned back and grabbed the half eaten box. “Can I take this for the road?”   
I laughed and nodded. “Yeah.”   
“Great.” He headed out.   
When I heard the front door shut I let out a sigh. WTF? Cool? He basically put his heart on the line and said ‘Cool’? I was an idiot.   
My dad walked into the kitchen with more understanding eyes. “Brooke, I know you two have this close bond now, but there needs to be some rules about what can and can’t happen in this house.”   
I deadpanned. “We just fell asleep, daddy. How many times do I have to repeat it before you believe me? Besides, you’re the one that confined me to this house in the first place. Does that mean my friends are banned from the house now? If anything you should be thanking him. He’s a good person and he actually cares about me unlike some people!”  
“What does that mean?”   
I shouldn’t have said anything. “Nothing.” I looked down.   
“Sweetheart?”   
I turned away from him. “It’s nothing.” I headed out of the kitchen. Halfway in the living room I decided to take a page from Stavo’s mystery book and I turned back to my dad. “Sorry you had to find us like that. I didn’t mean to disrespect you, daddy.” I sighed. “I just feel comfortable around him. Safe.”   
He looked at me with loving eyes, then walked the short distance to me. “Sweetheart,” He hugged me to him. “I’m sorry for overreacting. You just haven’t had the best taste in men, lately.”   
I stilled. “Gee, thanks.”   
He chuckled. “All things considered, I don’t mind Gustavo.”  
“Just call him Stavo, daddy. Gustavo sounds like a pool boy or something.”   
Oh my God, that was so racist. Clearly, I needed to work on myself. What a mess I was.  
He patted my back. “That was slightly racist of you, honey.” He pulled away with a raised brow.   
I offered a sheepish grin then started up the stairs to check on mom. She was still asleep. No need to wake her up to see if she needed anything. 

 

When I woke the next morning I made sure to spend a little extra time to look cute. Not for Stavo or Jake or any other man, but for me. If I looked nice, I felt nice. Ergo, I had to look nice.   
Although, when the final bell rung for third period and Stavo wasn’t in class I wasn’t only disappointed, but worried.   
Ms. Lang ran a few minutes late, so I whipped out my phone.  
Me: Are you dead or just late? It’s okay if you’re dead, but I’m stealing the rest of your oatmeal packets.   
Stavo: I’m still at home...on the phone with Cage. Not a good time. And you’re not stealing my oatmeal packets. You won’t make them like I do. ;)  
I grinned in my seat.   
“Sorry, I’m late guys,” Ms. Lang announced as she walked in the classroom.  
Me: You know us dumb blondes. Can’t even boil water. Tell Cage I said ‘Sup’ :)   
Stavo: Haha okay. See you in a bit.  
I pocketed my phone quickly.   
With him not behind me I actually had to pay attention. Truthfully, what he said last night made me want to pay attention. I didn’t want to fit into society’s preconceived mold of me. He was right. I was rich, blonde, and beautiful. Things would be easier for me than say Audrey. No offense to Audrey and all. Prettier people had it easier. Everyone knew that. Even though Stavo was a loner I can bet people would like him on the street solely on his appearance. That wasn’t fair. His words made me not want to take the shortcut through life. I’d been feeling this need to prove myself growing stronger lately and his pep talk only gave me the push I needed to actively want to change.  
I skipped my next class, which kind of went against what I just convinced myself I wanted. But Math would have to take a day off. Everyone kept staring at me. Hey, I get it. I’m popular. I was trending for almost twenty four hours, but damn. Even in the library I could still feel their eyes on me.   
Emma sat at a table with Eli when I approached. She looked up at me from her school work. “Hey, I thought you had class?”  
“I do.”  
Her forehead creased. “Is everything okay?”   
“Sure.” I set my bag on the table. “Just feeling a little watched, if you know what I mean.”  
She nodded in agreement.   
“Hi, Brooke. Nice to see you, too.” Eli piped in sarcastically.  
I waved him off. “Hey,”   
Emma grinned at him as they stared at each other. Oh, gross. I recognized the potential love interest look in her eyes. It was the same one I was sure I had whenever Stavo was around.   
My throat cleared. “Emma, can I talk to you for a sec?” I put on a grin. “Way over there.”  
She looked at me with rosey cheeks. “Sure.”   
We walked over to the stacks.   
I checked that no one was close enough to hear us before I smacked her bob.   
Her hand went to her chest, her big doe eyes stared back at me. “Ow!” She angrily whispered. “What was that for?”   
“You like him!” I whispered back.   
Guilt crossed her face for a moment before it flitted away. “I do not.”   
My hand propped on my hip while my head tilted.  
“He’s Kieran’s cousin. I’m just trying to make him feel welcomed. Kieran’s kind of mean to him and he doesn’t have any friends here.”   
“That’s all?”   
“Yeah,” She nodded. “I kind of know how it feels. My only friend growing up was Audrey. After my dad left I pushed her away the hardest. Even though it was Will’s stupid dare that made us friends I can still remember how relieved I felt when you guys wanted to hang out with me.”  
Damn. Now I felt bad. But I still know what I saw.  
“Sorry, I smacked your boob.”   
She cracked a grin. “Me, too.”   
We laughed as quietly as possible.  
When I started back for our table she pulled me back.   
“Not so fast. I want to hear about what you and Stavo did last night.” She grinned.  
My eyes rolled. “Nothing. We just did homework and...” I couldn’t break my promise not to tell anyone he watched PLL, so I drifted off and pretended like that was all I had to say.   
“And what?”   
She was perceptive.   
I shrugged. “Netflix and Chill. You know.”   
She gave me a disbelieving stare. “Come on. That’s it? No funny business?”   
I tried to hide my grin. “No funny business. We’re just friends.”   
She poked at my stomach. “You like him.” She teased.   
“I do not.” I lied as I smacked her hands away.   
She gave me an understanding look. “If you’re not over Jake, that’s fine. But there’s more than person in the world for you, Brooke. You don’t have to stay tied to Jake forever, even if you grew up together.”   
My head nodded. “I know, thanks. It’s just so complicated.” I sighed. “With Jake I knew I had the upper hand. We were friends and I thought he’d always be there for me. Now I’m not so sure.” My eyes went to the ceiling in hopes of calming me down. “With Stavo it’s different somehow. We connect more, I think. Not in the same way as Jake and I did, but we still connect. If you would’ve told me this time last week that I’d consider Stavo a friend I would’ve laughed in your face, Em. But we are friends now and I trust him. I know he likes me, but I’m not ready to move on from Jake yet.” My eyes met hers. “I know I shouldn’t love him, but I still do.”  
She nodded as encouragement for me to continue. Her hand rested on mine.   
“And I like Stavo. The worst part is I feel like I’m using him. He makes me feel like he cares and I really need that right now. Everything with my mom is crazy and his mommy issues made me feel guilty so now I have to forgive her.”  
She held her hand up. “Wait, back up. What’s going on with your mom?”   
I paused. “Oh, did I not tell you?” I grinned guiltily. “My mom’s home.”   
“Since when? Is she better?”   
“Since Sunday night. My dad brought her home even though she’s still in desperate need of the Twelfth Step program.”   
She nodded. “When were you going to tell me?”   
I gave her an accusing stare. “I don’t know. When were you going to tell me your dad was back?”   
She paused. “How’d you...Audrey told you?”   
I nodded.   
Her shoulders shrugged. “I don’t want to talk about it. Not here.” She gestured for me to keep going. “What’s Stavo’s issues with his mom?”   
This really wasn’t my info to tell, but Emma was the only one that seemed like she wanted to listen. Other than Noah and I couldn’t talk to Noah about my love life.   
With a huff, I said, “She died while giving birth to him. He blames himself. Like a lot.” I looked to the end of the stacks to see Hayley passing by and sneered. My eyes turned back to Emma. “It’s kind of sweet in the broken puppy dog kind of way.”   
She looked saddened by the news. “Honestly, I would probably blame myself, too.”   
I nodded. “He’s just so sad and lonely. I want to bring his friends up from Phoenix to surprise him, but I think that’s going a bit far. What do you think?”   
Her eyes widened. “Uh...I’m not sure. It doesn’t really seem like the best time for a reunion, don’t you think?”   
That I knew, but still.   
“Well, I have to do something. If we keep hanging out everyday you’re going to have to shake some sense into me. I don’t do attachment issues.”   
I was ashamed to admit it, but Emma was the most sensible of any of us. I was full on attached to Stavo and that really scared me given our current new resident in town.   
“You or him?”   
I gave her a look. “Have you seen him?”   
She nodded. “Good point.”   
We finished up our conversation and headed back to the table. 

By the time lunch rolled around I still hadn’t seen Stavo. I thought about calling him just to make sure he was okay, but thought better of it. Hello, stalker Brooke. No, thank you. But my worry was justified in this town.  
At lunch Noah and I agreed that we’d tell everyone about Sunday night after school at my house because I was still very much grounded. They deserved to know. We had to go to the police. It would make Noah look bad, which he knew, but he also agreed that that was far less worse than keeping a secret like this.   
As a small act of moving different I engaged my escort in conversation on my way to my locker. “Officer Loomis.” I offered a grin. “I know you have better things to do than tail my ass all day.” I reached into my locker to get my other textbooks for Study Hall.  
He nodded. “Got that right, kid.”   
I didn’t expect that response.  
I laughed. “While we’re bonding,” I turned to the forty something year old man. “Thank you. I feel safer with you around.”   
Not really, but it was the thought that counted.  
He offered a meek smile.   
Okay, so maybe we wouldn’t be friends, but I got a good deed in for the day.   
On the way to Study Hall I spotted Stavo down the hall. He walked with his headphones in and a clenched jaw. Did something happen with Cage or his dad? He looked pissed. So much so that he walked straight past me.   
“Hey,” I grabbed his arm. “Are you okay?”   
He tore his arm away and turned his hard eyes on me as he continued down the hall.  
Woah. What was that about?   
I ran after him. “Stavo,” I walked quickly beside him because his strides were longer than mine. “What’s up?”   
“Leave me alone, Brooke.” He stared forward.   
“What the hell?” I angrily whispered. “What did I do?”   
He stopped suddenly and glared at me. Now I knew he wasn’t pissed. He was hurt.  
“I don’t want to inconvenience you with my attachment and all.”   
My eyes widened as my chest tightened. “What? Why would you say...”  
He heard what I said in library. How? He wasn’t even at school yet I don’t think. Emma wouldn’t have told anyone. She was the only one I told.   
He shrugged. “I get it. I let you use me because I liked you. So what was it that made me so unbearable to be around? Were my mommy issues just too much for you?”   
My head shook, but nothing would come out.  
His eyes searched mine, maybe he waited for me to deny it, and when I didn’t he stalked away with a scoff.  
All I could do was stare after him. My heart felt like it was about to rip in half. Not because I was in love with him or anything, but because he thought I complained about him to my friends. He believed that I didn’t care about him, that I used him. And for what? Juicy gossip?   
“Can you give me ten minutes to myself?” I begged Officer Loomis.  
He looked at me with understanding eyes and nodded. “Ten minutes, then I’m coming in after you.”   
I headed to the bathroom to stop the water works before they started. A moment to myself would calm me down. Once I was in a stall I paced in the small space. I thought about sitting on the toilet, but ew.   
I pulled out my phone.   
Me: Did you tell anyone about our conversation in the library?   
Emma: About Eli or Stavo? And no way! Why? Did something happen?  
Tears filled my eyes. God, I was so sick of crying! All I ever did lately was cry over boys. Yet another stereotype I fit into. I bet Stavo would laugh at that. The thought brought on more tears.   
Me: YES!! Can you meet me in the bathroom by the computer lab? Need to talk :’( Had a fight with Stavo.   
Emma: I’m on my way. Bring Audrey?   
Me: Please!   
I pocketed my phone then wiped at my face as I waited for them to arrive. How was I going to fix this? He was really upset. How did even hear that?  
The door swung open and I was about to open the stall door until I heard girls talking at the sinks. Laughter filled the room. I reluctantly sat on the toilet and brought my feet to my chest.   
I hope they were gone by the time Emma and Audrey got here.   
“Can you believe that?” The familiar voice said.   
“Poor Stavo.” Another said.  
“Hey, he deserved to know what that bitch thought of him.” The first one chuckled. “Besides now he’s available.”   
I stilled once I recognized the voice. I peeked through the door hole to find Hayley with two other girls. She was the one that ratted me out to Stavo. And she didn’t even have all the information.   
Anger filled me as I stood. My hand pulled the door open, I waited in the doorway.   
All three girls froze at the sight of me.   
“You were saying?” My head tilted while I folded my arms across my chest, more to keep from hitting her than looking tough.  
Her face paled at getting caught in the act. “I-I...” She looked at her friends then back at me with a renewed confidence. “I just told Stavo what I heard.” She stepped to me. “He deserved to know. You used him like you did Jake Fitzgerald. Had the poor boy panting after you all throughout school.” She grinned cruelly. “And where is he now after you upgraded to the newest hottie in town?”   
She did not just...I breathed out, trying to remain calm.   
“Don’t talk about Jake. You don’t know anything about us, Hayley.”  
She glanced back at her friends. “Please, the whole school knew you had Jake wrapped around your rich, blonde finger. And you liked it. Don’t blame the rest of us for seeing it.”   
Her words stung me because they were true. I did have Jake wrapped around my finger. And I did like it. But we were still friends and I didn’t owe him anything romantically.   
I bit into my lip and nodded. “What Jake and I were is none of your business.” I stepped to her. “So let me be clear, the next time you spread lies about things you have no idea about look in the mirror first at the sad, pathetic girl you are.” I leveled her with my best bitch stare, then started for the door.   
“Bitch.”   
I stilled, but fought the need to stoop to her level.   
“At least, one good thing came out of this. Stavo now knows what a manipulative bitch you are.” She goaded. “But if he’s as messed up as you say he is then the freak isn’t any good, anyway. But at least his mom isn’t a Twelve Step druggie.”   
The cordial attitude I had broke as I turned back to her. “What did you just say to me?”   
Her friends laughed as she smirked. “You think you’d both bond over deadbeat mothers, but I guess he was too fifty shades of fucked for you, huh?”  
That was it!   
I charged her in my high heeled boots. She looked scared for a moment tried to move out the way, but I yanked her back by her dark brown hair. My hand slapped her across the face, but she retaliated with a punch to my stomach. I keeled over with my hands to my stomach.   
“Don’t touch me, you bitch.” She pushed me back and punched me in the eye.  
I fell to the floor with a scowl. My leg swiped her feet from under her. With her on the bathroom floor I climbed on top of her, my fists expressed that she crossed the line. I wasn’t one for fighting, especially over a guy, but this was different. She not only insulted my mom, who she knew nothing about, she made fun of Stavo’s dead mother. That was so not okay.   
My nails scratched at her face as she screamed. She punched me in the lip.   
Her friends pulled me off of her. She rose to her feet and backhanded me. I tasted blood in my mouth and spit it at her. She charged me into the door and into hall with a battlecry. My back hit the lockers while her hands went around my throat.   
“I told you not to touch me.” She looked at me with crazed eyes.  
I couldn’t breath, her hands tightened around my throat.   
This wasn’t my end. I survived a serial killer, I could take a few punches. That motivated me to keep fighting. Stavo’s words filled my head. Give them something to be wrong about.   
My highheeled boot slammed down on her foot. She yelled and stumbled back. I kicked her back into the wall and I didn’t stop hitting until hands pulled me back.  
“What is going on here?” A random teacher demanded.  
The halls had filled with spectators.  
“What the hell are you doing?” Audrey asked me as she held me back.   
“Are you okay?” Emma asked desperately.   
I struggled against Audrey’s strong hold. “Let me go.”   
Hayley’s friends helped her stand. “She’s crazy. Maybe she’s on drugs like her mother!”   
Whispers filled the hall again. That was all this school was. A bunch of fucking whispers.  
Rage refueled me enough to break free of Audrey’s grasp to go after her again. My hand grabbed ahold of her hair again, I shoved her to the floor and let her have it all over. I wasn’t satisfied until I drew blood.  
“You know nothing about me!” I cried. “You know nothing about my family!”   
Strong hands pulled me over her. “I leave you alone for ten minutes and you start a brawl in hall.” Officer Loomis muttered. He almost sounded proud.   
“She’s crazy.” Hayley shouted.   
My jaw clenched. My leg kicked out, I drove my heel into her stomach.   
She cried out.   
Loomis dragged me away from her.   
Ms. Lang stood a few feet away with a disappointed look. “Principal’s office. Now.”   
As per usual, I could feel a million eyes on me, but one in particular felt stronger than others.   
“Get back to class everyone.” Another teacher demanded.  
I looked over to see Stavo in the computer lab doorway. I wanted to say something to him, but I didn’t know what to say. Sorry I talked about your personal life in the library and Hayley’s a bitch for spreading it around? Actually that sounded good.   
But when I moved in his direction he pushed his way through the crowd and walked away from me.   
A huff left me.   
Emma and Audrey tagged beside me.   
“Dude, what the hell happened?” Audrey asked.   
“Ladies,” Ms. Lang called. “Get back to Study Hall. You’ll have to catch up with Brooke another time.”   
Audrey scoffed.  
“It was Hayley. She told him everything I said in the library.”   
Emma and I shared a look. She pulled Audrey along and explained to her what had went down while I did the walk of shame to the Principal's office.  
“For what’s it’s worth, kid,” Loomis started. “I didn’t think you had it in you.”   
My brow rose at him. “Are you praising me for fighting?”   
“No. Never.” He nodded and winked. “Got some good shots in, too.”   
I cracked a grin, but that fell when I realized I would be grounded until I graduated when my dad found out about this. My life was over as I knew it.   
Hayley was seen first. Her mom glared at me as they walked out of the office.   
My eyes rolled.   
My phone buzzed for the thousandth time since the fight. #BrookeVSHayley trended on Twitter. At least people were saying I won, which I totally did. A streak of pride ran through me and deflated as soon as I caught sight of my angry father headed my way.   
“Look at you. What the hell were you thinking, young lady?” He all but yelled.  
Loomis stepped forward. “Mayor, in your daughter’s defense the girl was clearly antagonizing Brooke.”   
My father turned his angry eyes on Loomis. “And where were you when this all went down?”   
“Dad,” I stood up. “This isn’t his fault. Officer Loomis broke us up.”   
“There shouldn’t have been anything to break up.” He barked.   
“Quinn,” Sheriff Acosta said from the door with Stavo beside him. “This isn’t a conversation for the whole office.”  
Great. This wasn’t embarrassing enough.   
My dad looked around at the bystanders and calmed down considerably. Clear disappointment stared back at me.   
That was the worst feeling in the world.   
“I’m going to talk to your Principal and you better hope he doesn’t suspend you from school.” He stormed into Principal Weathers office.  
My face reddened from embarrassment. Could this day get any worse?   
Loomis went to talk to the Sheriff as I laid my head against the wall, my eyes were glued to the ceiling. Maybe I deserved this. As much as I hated to admit it, Hayley was right. I was a rich bitch and I used people. Only she said it to my face instead of behind my back. I’m sure that’s what everyone else thought of me, my friends too at one point or another. And why wouldn’t they?   
My phone dinged. I unlocked it with a huff.  
Jake: U go all Girl Fight and I missed it? Round two for The Jake?   
I really didn’t feel like laughing right now, but I did because even if Jake was an asshole he still always came around when I needed him. And despite everything that had transpired this past week I was still in love with him. I couldn’t help it. There would never be another Jake Fitzgerald.  
Me: Only if you promise to come back for Kieran’s bday party on Friday?   
Jake: A party, huh? Shall I send some refreshments from south of the border?   
I grinned.   
Me: Pick your poison, Fitzgerald.   
Jake: Tequila. I’ll send it your way by tomorrow. ;)   
A huge part of me wanted to stay mad at him and just cut him off because I deserved to be respected. I totally did...and yet Jake couldn’t even call me to make sure I was okay. I was better than this.  
Jake: I really miss you, Brooke.  
My pride crumbled.  
Me: I miss you more :)   
I pocketed my phone while I waited for my dad. It gave me time to think about what an idiot I was for forgiving Jake so easily, but I couldn’t help it. It was Jake.   
Sheriff Acosta stopped in front of me without his son. “Stavo told me what he overheard in the halls. I’m sorry Hayley said those things about your mom.” He sat down on the bench next to me.   
“Thanks.” By his association with Stavo I felt calmer already. “But it wasn’t just about my mom.” My body became rigid. I didn’t want to confess this to the Sheriff, not about his dead wife, but he needed to know. “I told Emma some really personal things in confidence in the library earlier and Hayley must’ve been spying on us or something and she told Stavo everything I said out of context.”   
“What sort of things?”   
I played with my fingers nervously. I couldn’t meet his eyes on this one.   
“Things about his mom.” My voice squeaked out. “How he blames himself for her death still.”   
He stilled beside me. “He what?”   
My eyes slid to his. “I’m really sorry, Sheriff. I shouldn’t have said anything. I just wanted advice about-”  
He held his hand up to interrupt. “He told you this?”   
Reluctantly, I nodded.   
His skin paled as he stared straight ahead.   
We sat like that for awhile. Oddly, it was kind of nice being this honest with his dad. I was under the impression that he didn’t like me. At least, not for his son. He probably viewed me as the world did. He was right. Stavo was better than a snobby one percenter that thought she was better than everyone else.   
When my dad came out of the office he looked considerably more calm. He looked at me with soft eyes.   
“Let’s go, sweetheart.”   
I followed behind with my head held low.   
Once we were in his car he said, “Principal Weathers told me what that Hayley girl said. About your mother.”   
The emotion I’d been fighting ever since Hayley opened her bitchy mouth opened up in me. Shame. I was ashamed to be my mother’s daughter. And I was ashamed that I was ashamed.  
“Now, I don’t condone violence. This makes us look really bad for the reelection, they’ll say ‘If he can’t control his teenage daughter how is going to control the town?’”   
I nodded with my eyes on my lap.  
“But I don’t give a damn about any of that. You stood up for this family. I’m proud of you, honey.”   
My head shot up. “What?”   
He nodded. “You heard me. I’m proud of you, Brooke.”   
My eyes blinked to push away the tears. “Really?”   
I didn’t think my dad was ever proud of me before.  
“If she looks half as bad as you then you kicked her ass.”   
“Daddy.” I grinned in surprise at his cursing.   
He chuckled. “You in the mood for some ice cream?”   
I nodded. “Can I clean up first?”   
He patted me on the back. “It would be fun just to scare people.”   
Who was the man beside me? My father had never seemed so lose before. He was usually fatherly. Now he acted as if we were buddies.   
I beamed at him.   
“Oh, and you’re still very much grounded. I’m taking your Range Rover away.”   
“Daddy,” I whinned.   
I thought about how much I made myself into a stereotype, this was a part of that.   
I nodded. “Okay, I deserve that. I guess.”   
His brow rose. “Are you maturing, young lady?”   
I cracked a grin. “Maybe.”   
After my shower I checked my phone to find a long group message.  
Kieran: Brooke, are you alright?   
Emma: No, she’s not alright. Hayley started it.   
Noah: I can’t believe I miss everything. You have to talk about this on The Morgue. And before anyone yells at me Brooke said she wanted to be on the show!  
Audrey: You kicked her ass, babe! It was much deserved!  
Kieran: No one deserves to get beat up.  
Audrey: Love you, Kieran, but enough with the moral high ground bullshit. Hayley maliciously brooke Brooke and Stavo up. She had it coming.   
Since when was Audrey on the Stavo train?  
Emma: I kind of agree.  
Kieran: Emma?!  
Emma: What? What Brooke told me was extremely personal and Hayley totally lied to Stavo and mixed up Brooke’s words. I agree with Audrey. She put it on herself.   
Me: I’m fine guys. Thanks for the concern. :)   
Noah sent me a private message.  
Noah: If you want me to tell everyone about Sunday by myself it’s not a problem :)  
I almost sighed in relief. I couldn’t deal with that today.  
Me: If you wouldn’t mind. Sorry to leave you alone on that.   
Noah: Not a problem.  
Me: Have you talked to Stavo?   
Noah: His dad took him out of classes for the rest of the day. I’m sorry about what happened between you two.   
Noah: I’m sure when he realizes what really happened he won’t be mad anymore.   
Me: I hope you’re right. Thanks again, Noah.   
Me: Love you.  
Noah: Love you, too.   
After our father daught ice cream session he allowed me to go get the Range Rover. I had to beg him to let me go to Stavo’s house alone, but he allowed that too. My dad was kind of a push over on little things, but besides this one thing I’d do better at being more disciplined.   
I knocked on the front door with my heart in my throat. On the way over here, I played out a million different ways this could go in my head. Somehow, not know was worse than knowing.   
The door opened after a minute. Stavo stood in the doorway with softer eyes than earlier, but there was still conflict behind them.  
“Hey,” I said.   
He stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind him, he pushed his hands into his jean pockets. “My dad told me about what Hayley said. Emma wouldn’t leave me alone until I heard her out.”  
They vouched for me? The thought made me appreciate them more.   
“I’m really sorry.” I rushed out. “I didn’t know Hayley was listening when I told Emma. Everything she told you was twisted out of what I really meant. I do care about you a lot, I swear. The whole fight was my fault, I admit, but she crossed a line when she said what she said about your mom. And I just snapped.” I breathed in.   
He stared at me.   
“Please, say something.”   
He sat down on the stairs with a sigh.   
I sat beside him, my stomach flapped with nerves.  
“I get it.” He said. “Thank you for sticking up for me, for my mom...”  
“But?” My eyes searched his. “Stavo?”  
They didn’t look at me the same, which really hurt. This all made me so confused. One minute I thought I was still in love with Jake, but when I was with Stavo I didn’t know what I felt.  
He stared forward. “I trusted you with that information, Brooke. That’s something only my friends from back home know. And now the whole school knows.”   
I nodded, feeling extremely guilty. “I know. I’m so sorry.”   
His hand grabbed mine. “I know you’re sorry and I forgive you, but I don’t think I can trust you anymore.” His hand left mine.   
All the air left me at his verbal punch in the gut. Earlier, I promised myself that I wouldn’t cry anymore. At least, for the rest of the day, but I had to break that promise.   
“But I like you.” I looked up at him with hopeful eyes.   
He nodded. “I know.” It looked like it pained him to say that. “But I think I should keep to myself for a while.” He rose to his feet. “I’m sorry, Brooke.” He went inside and shut the door behind him.  
Rejection coursed through me as I sat on his porch stairs. I had to get out of here.   
I called Jake three times, but he wouldn’t answer. My eyes caught my reflection in the mirror, they didn’t like what they saw. A girl flip flopping between two guys. A girl who’s happiness depended on guys. A girl that had barely fought back.   
When I neared my house I couldn’t bring myself to stop, so I kept driving until I saw the ‘Visit Lakewood Again’ sign. I didn’t know where I was going, but I had to go somewhere that wasn’t here.

A/N: So not the last chapter, I promise. Had to add some drama in there. I forgot to add that my tumblr name is brostavorunsmylifenowareyouhappy if anyone wants to chat with me on there. My instagram isn’t working today for some reason, so sorry to my friends that I chat with regularly on there about the show. I’m not ignoring you, I promise haha :/ Thanks for reading yall!! :)   
P.S. OMFG ALL THOSE BROSTAVO SCENES IN 2X06!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I died on my couch. I’m pretty sure I screamed like a pterodactyl in my living room...it was bad!! Now I feel a bit more confident that I got Stavo’s tone right - I shared with some of you that I was worried I’ve been writing him incorrectly because we haven’t seen a lot of Brostavo interaction when Brooke didn’t hate him haha. Even if Brooke doesn’t have a crush on Stavo like he does her she’s definitely attracted to him.  
P.P.S. Like what the hell was Stavo doing in his room with the mask? That was almost as good as when he choke holded Hayley back when she got into a fight with Emma. Almost. I’m going to go out on a limb and stick to the theory that Stavo is innocent and MTV loves to make people look shady af. Him looking at the mask like was actually fairly normal considering if Brooke found it she’d be TERRIFIED of him! She would have no choice but to think he was the killer, who he kind of helped her “find”.   
P.P.P.S. That backwards cap tho! And the balls on Stavo with his flirting skills! *Golf Clap*   
P.P.P.P.S. I totally understand how some of you may be upset with the ending of this chapter, but you can DM me if you want to hear my reasonings about how this chapter ended. :)


	9. Don't Forget About Me

The song for this chapter is Cloves - Don't Forget About Me

Twenty miles outside of Lakewood I realized that my dad would go ape shit when I didn't come home, so I called him.

"Brooke, are you on your way home? Did you and Stavo patch things up?" He asked in a cheery tone.

My head shook. "Sadly, no."

"To which question?"

I made a face. "Both."

He huffed. "Sweetie, I know you two have this thing, but you can not sleep over at his house."

"Daddy, that's not..." I breathed out and gathered my words. "I'm not coming home. At least, not tonight. I know I'm grounded and I promise when I come home I'll act like it, but I just need a day to figure things out."

"What kind of things?"

I was surprised that he didn't yell. He actually seemed uncharacteristically calm.

I shrugged. "Things that probably won't get answered by tomorrow, but some breathing room should give me a little perspective...Please, don't be mad, daddy."

The other line was quiet for several moments.

"Daddy?"

"I still meant what I said earlier, sweetie. About being proud of you." He admitted. "I'm glad you called me instead of letting me assume the worst." He made a noise but cleared his throat. "Check in with me as often as possible and I won't have Miguel follow you."

My head nodded. "Okay, that works."

"And let me know when you're on your way home. I'll have dinner ready so we can talk about what you learned about yourself." His voice was a whole octave higher.

Was he crying?

"Uh, okay. Daddy...are you like crying?"

He let out a sniffle "A little bit. I love you, Brooke."

My eyes rolled and for some reason, I unrolled them. "I love you, too. Even if I don't say it enough, I love you. Bye." I hung up.

When night approached I thought about getting a hotel room, but I've seen Vacancy and no thanks. So I kept driving until I found an run down restaurant to eat at. If I wanted clean and pristine I'd have stayed in Lakewood.

There were more people inside than I expected, mostly biker dudes and trucker guys. Well, it was going on midnight soon. Even here, everyone's eyes were on me. They were even interested what the tiny blonde girl was doing in a place like this. I was wondering that myself.

I slid into a booth with the seat cover ripped. The table was sticky with beer, but I made my hands rest on it. Why not get the full experience, right? I looked around the place, at the rowdy guys playing pool in the corner, at the obvious prostitutes trying to make an end of the night sale, at the couples making out and fighting, and at the overworked crew behind the counter. There was no place for a rich, blonde, princess here. Yet, here I sat.

Another few minutes passed without a waitress seeing me and in those five minutes I contemplated leaving five times. Until a guy stood in front of my table with his broad arms folded across his chest.

"What will it be, Blondie?" His husky voice asked while his blue eyes stared back at me.

My brow rose. "Excuse me?

He gestured to the menu on the table. "Are you hungry or not?"

"You're the waiter?" I questioned with distaste as I picked up the menu.

"Yeah, what of it?"

My eyes slid from the menu to check him out. He had the whole scruffy tool bag thing going on. Tall, dark, and handsome. "You don't have an apron or a notepad. And your customer service could use a little work."

He chuckled. "Sorry to disappoint, sweetcheeks."

I glared at him. "My name isn't sweetcheeks."

His dark brow arched. "Isn't it past your bedtime, anyhow? What are you, like fifteen?"

I slammed the menu down. "Sixteen actually. And I can handle myself."

We both knew that wasn't true. If one of these working class men got a little too drunk and grabbed me up I couldn't defend myself. I couldn't protect myself.

"Alright, a cheeseburger and a soda sound alright?" His tone became slightly less condescending.

I nodded. "Thanks."

He left.

I pulled my phone out googled and typed 'How to feel strong'. A bunch of tips came up for mental strength, but that wasn't exactly what I was looking for. I changed my search to 'How to feel strong physically. When I realized how many results I had to sift through I clicked on images. More often than not fitness images stood out.

My eyes went to my arms, they were as thin as a pole. If I punched someone they'd likely laugh. All of sudden that frustrated me. Sure, I kicked Hayley's ass, but I was filled rage. I couldn't see myself doing anything strenuous in the gym. The treadmill and elliptical were it for me. Aside from the occasional crunches I do. Abs like mine didn't just happen. I thought about typing 'How to not be a pussy' but didn't think I'd like the results that show up.

I looked at my acrylic nails, at my Range Rover parked outside, and my iPhone. No one had to speak to me to even know what kind of person I was. That frustrated me even more.

Ten minutes later my food was placed in front of me along with a rag and a cup of ice.

"Thanks." I put a few ice cubes in the rag, then pressed it to my swollen eye.

He slid into the other side of the booth with a sigh. He took one of my fries.

My good eye narrowed at him.

He spread his arms along the back of the booth, which displayed his muscular physique. "What?"

"Just wondering what you're doing?"

He shrugged. "A pretty young thing like you strides into a bar like this and I'm interested."

I leaned forward on my elbows and instantly regretted it. I forgot that the table was a sticky mess. "Does that line ever work for you?"

He cracked a grin. "It wasn't a line, kid. You're jailbait waiting to happen. Way too young for me." He said even though he didn't look older than twenty-five. "So what is it? Are you punishing 'Daddy' because he wouldn't buy your Range Rover in pink?"

My defenses went up. "You know nothing about me." I sneered.

"Oh, yeah? Then why are you so angry?" He questioned.

My eyes went to the table. He had me pegged. Like I said, I was predictable.

"So what is it then? Your boyfriend dump you or something?"

Okay, that was spot on, but not hard to guess.

"Why do you care?" I asked.

"I'm bored. You're the most interesting thing to walk in all night." He checked his watch. "And my shift is almost over. I figured if I sat with you for a few minutes I wouldn't have to do anything else."

I cracked a wry smile. "Glad I could help." I huffed as I searched the place.

"Looking for someone?"

"Yeah, myself," I muttered as my eyes went to the window.

"In that case, there's a mall a few miles down the road. I'm sure she's where you left her."

I grabbed the cup of soda before I knew what I was doing and threw it at him. "Screw you." I grabbed my purse and headed for my car.

A few people cheered at my statement.

When I got to my car I just leaned against the passenger door to get my bearings.

This was not going as planned. Somehow I thought this would be easier. Somehow I thought I'd just drive and things would come to me. So far I had no more clarity than I did before I left. And it made me want to punch something. Bad.

"Soda, really?"

The guy came to lean against the car across from me.

"What's your deal, dude? You're way too invested in me at this time of night."

He wiped his face with a rag, his dark brown hair stuck to his face. "You remind me of someone, alright?"

"Like an ex-girlfriend or something?" I asked irritated.

He tucked the rag into a jean pocket. "No, my little sister."

Entertaining him, I asked, "And where is she now?"

He waited a few moments before he said, "Dead."

I stilled. Remorse filled me.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." I stared at him, rethinking our entire interaction. "So, you're talking to me because I remind you of her?"

"Essentially. You surprised me with the whole Clueless meets Into The Wild thing you've got going on."

Was that a compliment?

"As if," I complained.

His brow rose as he smirked.

"Alright," I agreed because how did I not see that one coming. "Since you're so obsessed with me, do you have a solution for my problem?"

"Depends. What's the root of the problem?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I gestured to me. "I'm the problem." I gave a sad half grin.

He slid to the ground. "Why are you the problem?"

I sat with my back against the tire. "Look at me, I'm weak."

He nodded. "So that's what this whole road trip is about? Because you feel weak?"

My forehead creased. "How do you know I'm from out of town?"

He pointed to my car. "It's a small town. No one here drives a Range Rover. Besides, you don't look like someone who resides in a town like this."

I nodded, okay with that answer. "I guess that's why I'm here." Telling a stranger this wasn't the plan, but I had hit rock bottom and whatever his name was willing to listen. "Everything was fine. I was fine. At least, I thought I was until Piper came to town and started offing my friends." I waited for his reaction.

"Huh?"

"It was in the news, you didn't hear about it? Piper Shaw, a crazy podcaster came to Lakewood and killed a bunch of people. Four of my friends, in fact."

His eyes widened. "You're a Lakewood survivor?"

I gave a wry grin. "A Lakewood Sixer in the flesh."

"I'm impressed." He nodded.

"Don't be. That's not something to be proud of."

He balked. "Uh, yes it is. In fact, you should be extremely proud of yourself. You don't look like you even carry a bag of topsoil, let alone fight off a deranged killer."

Again, I wasn't sure if that was a compliment.

"Well, I almost died, so I guess I'm lucky."

He gestured to my bruised and battered face. "By the looks of it, you just got rough with someone. I'd hate to see the other guy. Or girl."

A real smile played on my lips. "Yeah, I actually kicked her pretentious ass."

"Did it make you feel better?"

I nodded.

"Then do it again."

While I was all for giving Hayley what she totally deserved I didn't think I could go for round two just yet.

"I don't think that's going to help me with the bigger issue at hand."

"That's not what I meant. Learn how to fight. That's how I managed to move on with my life after..." His voice trailed off, but I knew what he meant.

Despite the morose topic we were on, I laughed.

"You think I can just learn how to fight and all of my problems will go away? I don't think so."

He shrugged. "Maybe not all your problems, but I think you're afraid of being a victim again. Even if it never happens again like it did with Piper Shaw at least you'd feel safer. More comfortable in your own skin, even."

I held a hand up to dismiss that thought. "I'm plenty comfortable in my skin, thank you."

His eyes rolled. "If that were true you wouldn't at least fifty miles out of town and I wouldn't be having this conversation."

Again, he was right.

A heavy sigh left me. "Let's say I do go about learning how to fight. Where do I start?"

Excitement filled his eyes. "That's easy. Get a punching bag because you're angry. I can see it in your eyes."

I was angry. I was angry at Piper. I was angry at Jake. I was angry at my mom. I was angry at Stavo. At Hayley. I was angry at myself.

My jaw clenched. "So you're saying a punching bag will solve what's wrong with me?"

"No, but it's a start. They have any MMA gyms down in Lakewood?"

I shrugged. "Like I'd know."

He gave me a look. "Tell you what, I'll give you my number. You text me or call if you have any questions. Cool?"

I nodded because I couldn't say it back. That was mine and Stavo's thing.

"And if you want, there's a Walmart a few miles down the road. I can follow you there and help you pick out some gear. You look like you have the money to spend."

I thought about it and figured I had nothing to lose. He could be a psycho or the killer for all I knew, but I didn't think he'd make up a story about his dead sister.

"I'd like that actually." I offered a weak smile. "Thanks."

He held out his hand. "I'm Drew."

I thought about lying, but he could easily look up 'Lakewood Six Survivors' so I went with the truth. "Brooke." I shook his hand.

After he gave me his number we headed down to the Walmart.

As we walked down the aisles I wondered what propelled someone to help a complete stranger out. Surely, there weren't enough nice people in the world.

"Her name was Casey," Drew said as we walked. "My sister, I mean." He looked over at me. "She was a lot like you actually."

"What happened to her, if you don't mind me asking?"

He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked straight ahead. "She was murdered."

That was awful.

"How did you get past it?" I asked in the most sensitive way possible.

"Punching things helped until it became a problem. My family wouldn't talk to me, my friends wouldn't come near me. I was violent and pissed off, looking to pick a fight with anyone." He glanced at me. "Until I ran into an old friend, he pushed me towards MMA. He put me in front of the punching bag and I punched. And I did that until it didn't hurt anymore."

The more he talked about it the more I thought this could work for me. "How long did it take?"

"About three months. Once I worked everything out with my fists I started to enjoy it. I started to become good at it." He grinned. "I'm in the process of starting my own gym."

"The dinner's not working out for you?" I joked.

We turned a corner.

He cracked a grin. "I like the ambiance there. Besides, I'm saving up to buy a building for the gym. I'm pretty close."

"So am I like your first client then?"

"Pro bono, of course."

We approached the fitness aisle.

He picked out an Everlast bag and boxing gloves. "You can definitely use some weights."

"Hey!"

He tossed one at me only to have it clank to the floor loudly when I couldn't catch it. He gave me a look.

"What?" I said defensively. "It was heavy."

"It was fifteen pounds, Brooke."

I looked down at the weight to verify. Yup. There was a big fifteen written on the side.

I bent to pick it up and struggled. "Nope, not happening."

His head shook in disappointment. He placed a few different weight selections in the basket. "If you want to feel stronger you'll have to become stronger."

My hand saluted him. "Aye aye, Captain."

He ignored me and grabbed a jump rope and medicine balls.

"This is getting really intense. Should I be worried?"

His blue eyes met mine. "Depends. Do you want to feel like a victim the rest of your life? I can see that it bothers you what the world thinks of you. And that makes you angry." He picked up a resistance band. "So do something about it."

We wheeled our way to the food section. I was a bit hungry after not eating that burger back at the dinner. When he picked up gross looking Whey Protein I made a face.

"Is that really necessary? I heard it tastes like ass."

He grinned. "Depends on what brand of ass you buy. Do you like chocolate ass or vanilla ass?"

I shrugged. "Surprise me." I grabbed what I knew was a blender bottle. They were kind of cute so I picked out a few different colors.

He placed a few containers labeled Pre-Workout in the basket. "Take this before you workout. It gives you an edge."

I grabbed it and surveyed the packaging. "How?"

"Makes your skin tingle. In a good way. Trust me."

He hadn't steered me wrong so far, but the night was still young.

"Although, to fully appreciate the effects you should do about a week of training before you take it."

I nodded.

He grabbed a first-aid kit. "You'll need this."

Luckily, I was rich and had the money to pay for all of this.

On our way out I swerved to the personal care section and hurriedly dropped a box of tampons in the basket.

He arched a brow at me.

"What? I'm running out." I pushed forward.

Once everything was rung up he helped me put the heavy stuff in the drunk, which I was grateful for because I didn't think I could lift an eighty-pound box if I couldn't lift a fifteen-pound weight.

"Alright, are you good?" He asked.

I nodded. "Thank you. You didn't have to help me out, especially after I threw my soda at you."

He shrugged. "It was nothing. Besides, helping people that were like me is part of the reason I want to start my own gym anyway." He patted the bumper. "I'll lead you back to the restaurant. You know how to get home from there?"

"Thanks, yeah."

He led me back to the dinner as promised.

"Hold on." He turned around and pulled his car next to me. "Don't be afraid to reach out to me with any questions, Brooke."

I reached for his hand. "I won't," I grinned.

He shook it then saluted a goodbye with two fingers. "Stay safe out here."

I waved a goodbye, then looked for a place to park my car. Even though I found a possible solution I didn't want to head home just yet. Plus, I was close to forty miles away and I was tired.

Once I found a place I made sure all the doors were locked, then crawled in the backseat to stretch out. I layed on my back with my hands on my stomach. My eyes gazed out at the stars through the window.

Who knew if what Drew suggested would work for me, but I did have to try something new. I felt like I was going to burst at the seams and when I did it wouldn't be pretty. On the off chance that I actually became go at this fighting thing then perhaps I wouldn't feel so jumbled.

I shot my dad a quick text even though it almost two in the morning.

Me: I'll be home tomorrow evening, I wouldn't be going to school, but I think I found something worth trying! :) I'm going to bed, love you.

Daddy: I'm glad to hear from you, pumpkin. Principal Weathers gave you the day off anyhow. I can't wait to discuss what you've come up with. Love you. Call me in the morning.

Me: Okay.

With that, I fell asleep, emotionally and physically exhausted from today's events.

My phone rung incessantly from the floor of my car, waking me from my sleep. The clock read 6:37am. Emma's face smiled on my screen.

"Whatever it is, couldn't it have waited until a more suitable time?" I groaned.

"I sent you a bunch of texts, where are you?" She asked distress filled her voice.

"Out of town. I'll be back by tonight." I closed my eyes and thought about hanging up on her.

"Well, you need to get back. Now. They found another body."

That Eddie guy Noah knew. I thought Noah told them about that yesterday? He said he would.

"Brooke, I'm so sorry." She apologized.

My eyes rolled. "Why are you sorry?"

"It's Jake."

My heart stopped as I shot up. "What?!"

She blew out a heavy breath. "The body they found this morning is Jake's." She struggled to hold it together but ultimately started crying.

"Hey, it's Kieran." He spoke into the phone. "Are you on your way home now?"

Now I was.

I nodded stiffly. "Yes."

"We'll be waiting here. All of us."

I nodded again because that was all I could do. I crawled the front seat and buckled up.

"Drive safe." He said, then muttered, "I'm sorry."

"Me, too." My voice was barely above a whisper. I let the phone call drop as I sat there in shock for a while.

Finally, something clicked in me, I started the car and headed home. It took me an hour and a half to get there. I wasn't sure how I got home, to be honest, I stared at the road in a fog. No part of me wanted to process that Jake was dead, but I had to before I got home and saw everyone's faces. They'd look at me with sympathy. With pity. Once again, I'd be the talk of the town.

My dad called me when I was almost there, probably to deliver the news, but I couldn't talk to him right now.

When I got home everyone's car was parked outside my house. With a deep breath, I got out of the car and walked into the house full of friends and family.

Everyone stilled at my entrance.

Kieran hugged Emma on the couch as she wiped at her eyes. Audrey looked at me with regret, she was the first person to hug me. Everyone joined in, crushed me was more like it. Even Eli. When they pulled away my dad was the first person to pull me to him. His embrace should've been enough to make me break down, but nothing happened. I barely even hugged him back.

I wouldn't cry this time. I couldn't. That fact seemed to shock everyone as the day dragged on and I hadn't shed a single tear. Maybe it shocked my dad more than it did my friends.

Sheriff Acosta respectively offered to hold off on questioning me, but I wanted to get it over with.

My dad accompanied us as we sat in the privacy of his home office.

"Again, I'm sorry about this, Brooke." The Sheriff said.

I gave a weak nod.

He looked at me with sad eyes, much like his absent son. "Are you sure you want to do this now?"

"Yeah."

He looked at my father, then back at me. "When was the last time you saw Jake?"

"Sunday night." My mind played back to how happy we were. "At the pool. We snuck in to have sex."

My dad stiffened next to me.

"Trespassing." Sheriff Acosta muttered. "I get it. It's fun." He waved it off.

He was cool with a lot of things we did and I wondered if he was so cool with us how did he totally screw up Stavo?

"Anything else you want to tell us about that night?" He asked.

My eyes went to my lap as guilt sprouted. "We had a fight."

"About?"

"My father," I admitted. "He had a problem with Jake. Jake wanted to go public about us, but I chose my dad."

Anger wanted to fill me, but I couldn't let it in. Not yet.

"Look, I know who did this." My eyes met the Sheriffs. "Seth Branson. My former teacher." I was sure Acosta knew all about that so I didn't feel the need to say it. "He's been sending me texts. Stalking me."

My dad angled his body towards me. "Sweetheart, you never said anything about this." He looked to Acosta. "There's a restraining order."

"Why would he do something like this?"

The easiest answer popped into my head. Me.

"He did this because of me," I admitted. "Can I see him?"

My father shook his head. "Sweetie, I don't think that's the best idea. Not yet."

Acosta nodded. "I'm going to have to agree with your dad. You don't want to see Jake like that."

"What happened?"

No one had told me how he died. We all knew it was the killer.

"Honey, does it matter?" My dad rubbed my back.

"It matters to me!" My jaw clenched.

Acosta sighed. "His organs were ripped out. His leg was gone. Whoever did this had it out for him."

After that, I didn't hear anything they said. Everything was tuned out. My emotions. My thoughts. The conversations around me.

On my way to the kitchen for some alone time, Noah chased after me.

"Hey, how you holding up?"

"Fine," I muttered.

He looked at me like he knew it wasn't true. "If it helps, I talked to Stavo. He wanted to come over but thought it would be weird. I talked with him last night and I think I convinced him to change his mind-"

"Noah," I interrupted with a heavy heart. "Can you please stop talking?"

For a second he looked hurt, but that was replaced with an understanding nod. "One more thing, then I'll shut up." He started. "I know what you're going through. So does Emma, Kieran, and Audrey. We've all lost someone we loved. You need time to heal, we get it, but don't Ice Queen us out, Brooke."

I gave a nod, then zombied my way through everyone else and up to my room.

Hours of quiet passed by while I circled up in bed. I knew that because my dad checked on me every hour on the dot. I never needed anything when he asked. My appetite was gone. The hours of solitude left me to my thoughts. Eventually, I pieced together that Jake was never in Mexico. He hadn't planned on coming back so soon as proof of his text saying he'd send some Tequila our way today. He wouldn't have had to send it if he was on his way home. It was a long shot, but the more I thought about it the more it made sense. How he'd been sketchy as hell the past week. How he never called me back or answered my calls. So who was texting me back? The killer?

I sat up in my bed, tired of laying down.

The evening dragged into the night eventually. My room filled with darkness. Something I was comfortable with. I tried to remember how I got over it when Riley died. Well, I had Emma. And Jake. I didn't have Jake anymore.

My eyes closed at the realization. I'd never look him in the eyes again. I'd never hug him again. Or kiss him. Or tell him I loved him to his face.

My door creaked open a few moments later.

Stavo peeped his head in. "Hey," He closed the door behind him. "I should've come sooner, but I'm here now..."

The tears that wouldn't come all day filled my eyes and turned into a full sob.

He climbed onto my bed and pulled me to his chest. "I'm so sorry." He whispered.

I clutched to him like my life depended on it. Everything I bottled in since I heard the news poured out as he rocked us back and forth with his chin on my head. I ignored how much it hurt to cry with a busted lip and a swollen eye.

He let me sob until I was cried out before he asked, "Do you want me to stay?"

I nodded, not able to meet his eyes. "Please," I whispered.

"Then I'll stay." He pulled us down under the covers. He gave me room to breath, but I didn't want it so I turned over and wrapped his arm around me. He got the signal and moved closer so that he held me.

"Thank you," I whispered.

He let out a heavy sigh. "Anything I can do to help." He whispered back. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Okay."

I twisted around so that I faced him and buried my head into his strong chest until I drifted off to a peaceful sleep.


	10. Stars

Okay, so I realized that some of yall may not listen to the song of the chapter as you're reading which is fine, but I highly suggest you listen to the songs as you read the chapters. The vibe of the songs goes hand in hand with the chapters. I listened to all of these songs specifically as I wrote each chapter. If you don't want to listen to the songs that's fine too :)

The song for this chapter is Grace Potter and The Nocturnals - Stars

I woke in a cloudy haze. Was the heat on? Sweat dampened my skin, my clothes stuck to my body. When I registered the arms around me my mind played back and I realized they were Stavo's. His warm breath heated up my skin and a few other places. That's when I remembered why he was here in the first place.

Jake was dead.

Jake was dead. Here I was in another guy's arms, a guy who I liked. Guilt grew in me. How could he be dead? How could I ever be okay with this? He was gone and I couldn't get him back.

I tried to untangle from Stavo because I felt I had to, but his hold was strong. Desperately, I pushed and kicked him away. I didn't mean to hurt him, but I had to get away.

He peered at me through sleepy eyes. "Ow." He yawned.

I got off the bed, needing some distance between us. "Sorry."

He sat up, his eyes roamed around my room. "This was pretty much what I imagined. Only there's a lot less pink and stuffed animals."

I sunk into my desk chair with no energy.

"Don't leave me hanging. I know you have a snappy one-liner to throw back at me."

My eyes met his in the mirror. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I don't have it in me today."

He scooted to the edge of the bed. "What can I do to make it okay?" His eyes searched mine.

"You can't. Jake's dead. And that's not changing." My chin trembled, but before I could let out the pain I shot up. I grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. "I'm going to take a shower. You don't have to stay if you don't want to." I didn't wait for him to answer before I rushed to the bathroom.

I sat under the hot water with my knees pressed to my chest until Stavo knocked on the door.

"Brooke, are you alright in there?" Worry evident in his voice.

Was I? No. Did I have to be? Yes.

I turned the water off and stood.

"I'll be out in a second," I told him.

I slid on my clothes only to realize I picked out the same shirt I wore at the hospital. The one Jake got me on our first date. It wasn't on purpose, but the fact that I could reach for something so innocently and have it be tied to Jake only made me sadder.

It took me a few minutes to blowdry my hair. I didn't feel like it, but I didn't want it dripping down my back the whole day either. By the time I felt okay enough to come out of the bathroom my room was empty. I pulled my hair into a ponytail, then took the pain medicine for my leg. As the days went on I needed it less and less, but I didn't want to feel any more pain than I already did.

He left.

I gave a sad grin. Could I really be mad at him? I told him to leave. Everyone left me. Maybe it was me. All I was going to be do was stay in bed, anyway. He had better things to do. I kind of wanted to go through old pictures of Jake and I. I wanted to see him as he was, not in the picture Acosta painted for me last night.

Where was my laptop?

My eyes searched for it. I thought I left it on my dresser.

I made my way downstairs. My stomach growled at the smell of food. Was my dad still here? He'd probably have a busy day of press meetings and appointments. I knew my mom couldn't cook. Speaking of her, where was she? Did my dad put her in the guest house?

Imagine my surprise when I found Stavo cooking away in my kitchen. There was bacon, eggs, pancakes, and biscuits. Along with a fresh pot of coffee brewing.

He turned around at my entrance. "Hey, hope you don't mind." He had flour on his shirt where my pink 'Hottest Barbie In The Kitchen' apron didn't cover his broad chest.

"I thought you left." I cleared my throat.

He turned back to the cooking pancakes and flipped them. "Never."

I took a few steps towards the island but didn't sit down. "Well, you did. On Monday."

His back stiffened. "That was different."

"Why?"

"Because, Brooke." His voice rose a little, but he calmed down when he noticed what I was doing. "I was angry at you on Monday. I basically told you that I'd wait for you and not even a day later I hear that you think I'm clingy. I hear that you hate the worst part of me, the part that will always blame myself for my mom dying no matter what anyone says. You were the first person that I let myself get close to here." He used a spatula to place the rest of the pancakes on the plate. "I think it goes without saying how I feel about you." He placed his hands on the island, his brown eyes stared at me. "Part of me still doesn't want to trust you, part of me wants to push you away the hardest." He echoed the words that ran through my heart. "But when I heard the news I had to push away that anger and doubt to see if you were okay."

"And now that you know? Are you going back to hating me?" I poured myself a cup of coffee.

"I could never hate you, Brooke. And no. I know that you don't need me here, but I don't want to leave."

I didn't want to need him here, but I did.

My eyes went to his. "I don't want you to leave either."

He cracked a lazy grin. "Cool."

I brought my mug to my mouth to hide the forming of a grin. "Cool." I fixed myself a plate because I was actually starving. His eggs looked fantastic! And the pancakes smelled of apple cinnamon. He wasn't lying about knowing how to cook. I all but moaned as I ate his food.

My face reddened under his gaze. "Sorry."

He grinned. "I don't mind at all."

Of course, he didn't.

"Save room for dessert. I'm making something special." He said halfway through after I was thinking about a second plate.

My brow arched. "I don't know if you're being serious or dirty."

He shrugged. "You'll have to wait and find out." He already finished his food and moved to start cleaning up.

I hopped off the stool and helped him.

"No, I got it."

My eyes rolled. "A-It's my house and B-don't tell me what to do."

"Yes, ma'am."

As we washed dishes I couldn't help but feel something for him at seeing him all domesticated. Seeing a man cook and clean was way sexier when it wasn't my dad.

"What?" He asked as he washed and I dried.

"Nothing," I muttered.

His hip touched mine as he moved closer. "It's something."

"My apron just looks good on you is all," I said because I still didn't want to fall back into a flirtation with him. Not yet.

His hands flattened against his stomach and he had the nerve to look shy. "You don't think it's too much?"

My eyes trailed along his body. I cleared my throat. "It clashes with your outfit."

"So maybe I should just take my clothes off?"

I stilled. "Uh...that would solve the clashing problem." I nodded. My face flushed. "Wait," I looked up at him. "That's not dessert, is it?"

His brow rose as he laughed. "Do you want it to be?"

I grinned. "Maybe another time." I tried to tuck that image away for later, but it stuck around in my head. An actual laugh bubbled from me.

His eyes softened. "What's so funny?"

"Just picturing you in nothing but an apron."

He deadpanned. "Why is that funny?"

"First off, my apron is pink. Did you even read it before you put it on? It barely fits you by the way." I laughed.

A smile broke on out on his face as he gazed at me.

Nerves danced around in my stomach. "What?"

"It's just nice to hear you laugh is all."

That's when I realized that being around Stavo could completely make me forget how shitty my life had become. He made me laugh and smile. He was a good friend. One of the best I ever had after nearly a week. We'd only known each other six days and I already felt like he was the permanent fixture in my life. That scared me.

He seemed to sense my withdrawal and asked, "What do you want to do today?"

I thought back to the stuff in my truck, completely forgotten under the surprise of Jake's death. "I bought some things. Can you help me get it out of my car?"

I grabbed my keys off the key rack.

"When did you have time to go clothes shopping?"

A smirk played on my face because he'd have to carry that heavy ass punching bag box.

"You make time for the important things." I played along.

He honestly looked a bit disappointed at my faux barbie shopping trip. I didn't understand why he had higher hopes for me than I did.

When I opened the trunk he stood still in shock. I had to laugh at him.

His brow arched as he turned to me. "You didn't get this at Victoria's Secret, did you?"

"Nope."

He let a small huff. "Damn, I was kinda hoping to see you try on some underwear. Guess that's another day."

What I wanted to say was 'Give me a while and that can be arranged', but what I actually said, "Just get the box, Casanova."

I grabbed the lighter bags and let him break a sweat trying to get the box up to my garage, which gave me some satisfaction.

"Usually, I don't have to work this hard to get into a girl's pants." He commented as I held the door open for him.

I gave him a narrowed look.

"I'm kidding."

My eyes locked on his broad arms as they strained to move the box. "There are some more weights in the trunk when you're done with that."

The box fell. His head snapped around the box, a sheen of sweat on his skin. "What?"

I pouted. "Please?"

His eyes rolled. "The things I do for you, Maddox." He lifted the box back up.

Once we got everything in the garage I grinned cheekily at him.

He sagged. "You want me to put it together, don't you?"

I nodded.

"Alright," He tore into the box. "But I better see a boob or something for this."

I chuckled. "I'll let you hold the bag while I punch it, but that's it." I sat beside him.

We layed out the pieces.

"I didn't know you were into MMA. That's hot." He said as he glanced at me.

"I'm not. Drew turned me onto it."

His brow arched. "Who's Drew?"

I took the plastic off of the long pieces. "Just a guy I met the other day. He was nice. Ish."

"Where'd you meet him?" His make stiffened as he turned over a bag in his hand.

"Um, at a diner out of town. Tuesday night around 11 if you want that info too." My eyes rolled.

He dropped the bag. "Jesus, Brooke. What were you doing out that l-" He paused when he realized that it was the same day as our "break up". "Oh."

My shoulders shrugged. "It's okay. It wasn't just about you." My eyes met his. "Everything kind of piled in on me and I needed a break. I need to figure my life out. Drew was just there to push me in a helpful direction."

His forehead creased. "Did he help you pick out all of this?"

I nodded.

"You went off with that guy? Someone you don't even know, just like that?"

"It's not like I gave him a blowjob in his car. He helped me out, Stavo. That's it." I assured.

He scoffed. "That's not all he wanted, though. You should be more wary of strangers. Even your friends."

The bar I held clanked to the ground as I dropped it. "What is your problem? There was nothing romantic about him helping me shop. He said I reminded him of his dead sister, it doesn't get any less romantic than that. And it's not like I can just forget about you..."

His jaw clenched and unclenched as he stared at me.

Why did I say that? That didn't help the whole friends thing.

"Sorry. I just-It should've been me helping you out on Tuesday." His eyes went to the floor.

I shrugged. "It's not always going to be you, Stavo." That thought kind of saddened me, but we'd eventually graduate and go our separate ways if we lived that long. That's how it always happened.

We spent about an hour trying to put together the punching bag stand in silence. I had a fun time watching him try and holster the punching bag loop into the hook. I wiggled my eyebrows when he used the bottom of his shirt to wipe his sweaty forehead.

"Fuck me," I muttered, a little too loudly. I stilled under his gaze.

"What was that?" He grinned.

My head shook as I avoided his eyes. "I didn't say anything."

He turned around, he tugged on the bag to make sure it was stable when I noticed the red spot on the back of his gray t-shirt. My eyes strained as it grew bigger.

I stood to my feet and lifted his shirt up.

"Woah, I don't think I'm ready. I need to shave first." He joked.

When I saw that his back wound had opened up concern filled me and I started punching him. "What is wrong with you, you asswipe?"

He tried to deflect my tiny hits. "Can you not? What are you even talking about?"

I patted his shoulder and he winced. "That's what I'm talking about. I completely forgot about that. Why didn't you tell me you were in pain? I wouldn't have asked you to help me assemble this, let alone drag it from the car."

He shrugged. "I've had stitches open up before, I know how to fix it. Besides, pain makes you stronger."

I punched him in the pec. "Did that make you stronger?" I looked up at him.

He smirked as he gazed down at me. "You just like beating me up. You know what they say about the little girl that shoves the kid around on the playground. She likes him."

"I have a feeling I wouldn't like you as a little girl." I made a face. "I was under the impression all Latinos were housekeepers." I felt so embarrassed to have admitted that.

When he laughed I didn't feel so bad. "I'm Colombian to be specific."

"Can you dance?" I grinned. "Cuz if you can that's sexy."

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Brooke."

"Clearly." My mind drifted to the thing that nagged me all last night and this morning.

"What's on your mind?"

My head shook. "It's nothing."

His hand rested on my shoulder. "It's not nothing or you wouldn't have that look on your face." He gave me an expectant look.

I scratched above my eye. "Fine. I want to see his body."

The look he gave me signaled what I already knew. That it was a bad idea.

And somehow, he said, "Okay, let's go."

Confusion crossed over my face. "Seriously? You don't think it's a bad idea?"

"Doesn't matter what I think is best for you. Only you know that." He pulled me along to my car.

I halted. "Wait, your back. Shouldn't we like put something on it? Ointment maybe?"

He pushed me forward. "Nope. I'm fine."

The whole way to the morgue my stomach flipped and flopped. I wasn't sure how I even had a stomach left. There was a bad taste in my mouth. Why did I bring this up? I should've just kept my mouth shut.

"Are you hungry?" I looked over at him.

He shook his head.

"Are you thirsty?" I started the car. "Maybe like a quick trip to Starbucks. Or a movie."

His hand fell on mine on the steering wheel. "Quit stalling."

I scoffed. "I'm not stalling."

"You're so stalling. Now get your ass out of the car and go look at the body. Don't give me that look. You drove us out for closure. Go get it."

He was right. When was he not right?

A huff left me. "This was a bad idea. I can't see him like that." My head shook.

His hand squeezed mine, then slid his fingers between mine. "You bought that punching bag to work out your problems, right?"

I nodded.

"This freak whoever it is killed your boyfriend and he tried to kill us. You can use those feelings, how you're feeling right now and put them in your fists. Use that for later. Also seeing Jake like that would be good closure for you. Or maybe I'm wrong. Just ask yourself if you don't do this will you regret it the rest of your life?"

With that in the front of my mind I jumped out of the Range Rover and started for the Morgue, but when I realized Stavo wasn't behind me I backtracked. "Hey, are your legs suddenly broken?"

"No, but I don't want to see a dead body. No offense to Jake."

I whined. "Seriously, Stavo? You're going to let me do this alone?"

He gave me an encouraging look. "You can do this without me."

I wasn't so sure about that, but I did want to believe in myself more. Doing things like this alone could only make me stronger. Or dead. But I guess he was right. If seeing Jake broke me down even more then I'm not sure I needed someone there for that. I had to get out of the habit of depending on someone to prop me up.

I pushed forward.

The walk towards the Morgue wracked my nerves completely. Maggie was extremely sweet and understanding. She said she'd slip out to ask Acosta if they had any theories worth sharing. When I asked her how long he had been dead she said about a week. Before she left she pulled out Jake's body.

For the first few minutes, I couldn't find the courage to turn around to look at him. The moment that I did it was real. The moment I saw him cold and lifeless was the moment he was really dead. If I walked out of this room right now I could dilute myself into believing he was still here with me. Unhealthy as it was, I would prefer that over the alternative.

Just ask yourself if you don't do this will you regret it the rest of your life? Stavo's words echoed in my mind.

In a year or five would I look back on this moment and hate my cowardice? Would the horror of seeing Jake's body really give me closure?

I blew out a shaky breath. "Just turn around," I whispered to myself. "Just do it."

A moment later I flashed to find his body covered in a beige sheet. I crept towards him and snatched the sheet back. I stilled at the sight of him laying on the cold slab of a bed. "Oh my...Jake." My hand went to my clenched stomach.

He was gray. His chest was sewed shut.

I pulled the sheet down further and gasped at his cut off leg. My eyes went to his, gray and distant. That smell, it was a very distinct aroma. Dead flesh.

He was dead.

"Jake..."

Everything that I ate earlier made it's way up my stomach and onto the floor. It kept coming. I bent over from exhaustion.

Shit.

I couldn't just leave it there. Every time I moved to clean it I gagged. This was so gross.

What I should've done when I cleaned it all up was take off, but for some reason, I planted myself above him. For a long while I looked at him, my mind tried to understand why this happened. The only conclusion I could come up with was that this was my fault. We had a fight and that filled me with guilt. I don't know, maybe if I hadn't blown things out of proportion then he'd still be here.

My hand went to his. It didn't grab mine back, of course. He wasn't ever going to hold my hand again. Sadness ripped through my chest.

Tears filled my eyes. I let out an incredulous laugh. "Why did you have to go and die on me? We were going to go to Prom together." I gave a tight smile. "It was supposed to be you and I til the end, boo." The tears dripped down my face, I wiped them away. "What am I going to do without you? You were my rock for so long and now you're just gone..." My hand tightened around his stiff, lifeless one. "I don't know if you can like hear me in the afterlife or whatever, but know this. I'll always love you, Jake. And you'll always be my first love. Always." I struggled to keep my emotions at bay because I wanted to be strong, but I didn't know how strong I could be at the sight of my ex-boyfriend's dead body.

The act grossed me out, but I wrapped my arms around him nonetheless. Not doing that would be the biggest regret of my whole life. The fact that he just layed there helped the remaining part of my brain understand that he was gone and not coming back.

I heard noises in the hallway and moved away. I quickly pulled the sheet over him and shut the door.

Maggie entered with my dad.

He stilled once he saw me. "Honey, what are you doing here? I told Stavo to keep you company at home."

Did he? Did he give him money too?

"Well, he didn't much give me a choice." He threw in.

Last night I hadn't even cared to bring it up, but Stavo walked in through the front door. Did my dad let him spend the night, too? The other day he wigged out on us falling asleep on the couch. Why would he be okay with him spending the night in my bed? The simple answer; my dad wanted me to open up, to feel something, to let someone in. Somehow he knew the right person for that was Stavo.

I rushed to my dad and hugged him. "I love you, daddy."

He hugged me back tightly. "I know, sweetheart. I love you, too." He kissed the top of my head.

I pulled away and hugged Maggie. "I threw up on your floor," I whispered in her ear.

She chuckled. "Love you, too."

When I walked to the Range Rover I found Stavo waiting in the driver's seat.

"Thanks for making me go in there." I hopped in on the other side. "Did you take my car for a spin or something?"

His brown eyes looked at me. "No, I didn't think you'd feel like driving after that." He grabbed my hand, his hand was very much alive. His hand was warm and soft. Caring. "You okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah I kind of just want to go to sleep."

His hand pulled away as he started the car. "Okay."

But when I got home sleep wouldn't come easily. I laid on the couch with a gruff while Stavo did his homework in one of the nearby chairs.

He cleared his throat as I thrashed around and tried to get comfortable. "What's wrong?"

I groaned. "I can't fall asleep." I looked over at him. "Can you sing? I could go for a Spanish lullaby."

He handed me a book. "Read this."

I took to humor him, but I wasn't a reader. I flipped the book over in my hands. "Um, no thanks. This is about the Cold War. Do you have anything a little more sexy? Like vampires or something?"

His brow arched as he deadpanned. "No."

I sat up. "You're in a grumpy mood. What's wrong with you? Tired of my presence already?"

He mulled it over before he dropped the highlighter in whatever textbook he studied. "Alright, something happened with Cage. I think there's something going on that my friends aren't telling me. I don't know what it is, but Cage is being tight-lipped about it." He huffed. "I don't want to fight with them. They're the only people I have in my life."

"You have me," I said on instinct.

Our eyes locked and I blushed.

He cracked a grin. "Yes, but I've known them since middle school and longer. It's a bit different."

I nodded in understanding. That feeling I knew well, only half of my lifelong friends were murdered. His were still alive.

"Maybe you should call them? Or at least Cage. Do you have any pictures of them?"

He perked up. "Yeah." He unlocked his phone and went his photos with a dimpled smile on his face as he sat beside me. "This was taken the day I left." He showed me a group of tanned Phoenix teens.

Every single one of them was beautiful. How were they not popular? You don't just ignore people like that. My eyes found Stavo, he honestly never looked happier or more comfortable than the photos he swiped through.

"Ooh, go back."

He swiped back to a photo of him with a tall and tanned blonde and a buff dark haired hottie. The girl was stretched out in both guys' arms as everyone laughed. He grinned. "Cage and Nikki. They've been with me since day one. They lived on either side of me."

I wish my friends lived that close. I imagined the debauchery we'd get into.

My eyes met his. "Come on, show me an ex-girlfriend. Something juicy."

His head shook. "No, absolutely not. That's asking for trouble."

I nudged him. "I'm drama free, I swear."

He didn't look like he believed me but scrolled further down.

Why did he still have pics of his ex-girlfriend's on his phone? Should I be worried? I mean, I'd always have Jake on my phone, but that was different. Jake would always be a part of me, so I wasn't sure if I was being a hypocrite or overly concerned.

He showed me a picture of him and another blonde girl. She was simply gorgeous, a Blake Lively type even. He wrapped his arms around her as she smiled at the camera, but his gaze was on her. I wish I could say I'd seen that look before, but that was different. He was in love with her.

"Wow," I muttered to myself more than him. "Another one." I got excited.

He locked his phone with a sigh. "That's it."

I looked at him in doubt. "Seriously?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Angie was my first and only." His eyes got a faraway look to them.

Really?!

"What happened? Couldn't handle long distance?"

His strong jaw clenched like it did when he tried to control his emotions. "Kind of. She died..."

I froze in place.

Shit. Here I was being my usually insensitive self.

"Uhhh..." I dragged on because I didn't know what to say.

His fingers tapped his leg. "It's okay. It was a serious hit and run. She was out in a secluded part of the desert, the police didn't find her body until two days after. That was nearly two years ago."

"I'm sorry."

He waved it off.

"How old are you?"

I just assume he was sixteen like me.

"Eighteen."

My forehead creased. "For real? Aren't you supposed to be a senior then? You said you were in all AP classes."

He swallowed the lump in his throat. "Remember when I said I got into some trouble back home?"

I nodded.

"I was pretty great at school a few years ago, so much so that I barely had a social life outside of my friends. Then Angie died and that's when I started getting into trouble." He looked straight ahead. Even though his face was straight I could tell he struggled to keep it. "That's when I started doing drugs, skipping school. Doing reckless stuff because I didn't care anymore. I lost a few friends. Cage and Nikki were the only two that could stand to be around me, everyone else dropped me. I was an asshole. A drunken asshole." His head shook. "You wouldn't have liked me, Brooke." He gave a wry half grin.

My heart broke for him, I grabbed his hand in support. "You don't know that. If my record says anything I kind of have a thing for assholes."

His sad brown eyes met mine slowly. "No, I know you wouldn't have like me. I didn't like me. My dad sent me to a Therapist, but I'd blow it off most of the time. I did a lot of stupid shit, a lot of things that I could've gone to jail for had my dad not been a praised police officer."

"How'd you get out of it?"

His eyes searched my face carefully. "I told myself that I wasn't that person, that I was disappointing Angie. I told myself that I was disappointing my mom." His eyes shined brightly, but he blinked away the beginning of tears. He interlaced our fingers. "And if it hadn't been for Cage and Nikki I don't know where'd I be right now. I patched things up with the rest of my friends a few months before I left, but we're still on rocky ground. And now I don't know if I did something that I don't know about or if they still haven't forgiven me." He absentmindedly rubbed the back of my hand.

A thought occurred to me. "You didn't go see her, did you? Is that why you were so adamant about me seeing Jake earlier?"

He nodded. "I regret it every day. No matter the image I wanted to keep of her in my mind, I wish I did it before they put her in the ground."

I hadn't noticed it before, but this was one of the few times he shared anything about himself with me. Besides his mom guilt and his dad issues, I barely knew anything important about him while he'd been there for me time and time again in the past week. The overload of details brought on a feeling of compassion and appreciation. I wouldn't share any of this with anybody this time because a repeat of last time wouldn't help me at all. The fact that he had forgiven me at all was astounding. The fact that he trusted me again enough to share this made my heart heavy in my chest.

I stared at his soft eyes. I knew this wasn't anything romantic and that Jake just died, but I couldn't help seeing him with heartfelt eyes.

He noticed my staring and his eyes went down to my mouth with a furrowed brow. A moment later he moved his mouth closer to mine. My hand slid up his face as I leaned forward, my heart hammered in my chest. Longing took over my body. Our breaths mingled and it didn't seem like a better time to share this moment together. And it didn't seem like a worse time either. Indecision hung in the air until he pulled away my touch.

He cleared his throat.

My face flushed in embarrassment. It was rare that I had ever been turned down, but this was more than that. This was both of knowing this wasn't our time, but he was the stronger one to initiate it the distance we desperately needed. I was the weak one. Again.

"We shouldn't..." He started.

All I could do was a nod. "I know."

He rose to his feet. "Maybe I should go."

"That's probably a good idea."

He collected his things.

This was beyond awkward. I didn't really want him to leave, but we needed to press pause on whatever it is we had going on.

On his way to the door, he turned back to me. "Thanks for listening."

"Thanks for being there for me. I really needed you and I know I didn't deserve it, but you came anyway. That means a lot."

He nodded. "The moment I heard about Jake none of that mattered." He gestured to the door. "Reach out if you need me, okay?"

"I will."

He looked at me with unsure eyes before he left.

After another failed attempt at rest and reassuring my friends that I was okay I went to go check on my mom, but when I searched the guest house she was nowhere to be found.

I called my dad on my way inside the house.

He answered on the first ring. "Everything okay, sweetheart?"

"No, where's mom?"

"She got really sick in the middle of the night, so I took her to a private doctor. He's equipped to handle patients like your mother. She'll only be there for a few days."

"Were you planning on tell me this?" I marched up to my room.

He sighed. "Of course, I was, sweetie. I wanted you to get a little more used to the situation at hand first before I overloaded you with this. I assume Stavo's still there?"

I sat on my bed. "No, he left actually."

"Did you two have a fight?"

My head shook even though he couldn't see that. "Not exactly." I didn't feel comfortable discussing this with my dad, but if anyone could keep a secret it was Mayor Maddox. "Can we talk about it when you get home?"

"I'd love to." He sounded surprised.

"Okay, see you when you get home."

We hung up after the 'Love you's'.

I checked my phone and realized that my Twitter notifications were blown to crap. What now?

My hand tightened around my phone when I saw #RIPJake was trending and I was being tagged in it. Should I be horrified or honored people cared enough that he was trending? He'd like, "Come on, babe. What did you expect? The Jake trends in life and death." He'd give his off-kilter grin to try and creep me out.

Immediately, I suited up, then made my way down to the garage. Even though it was broad daylight I made sure all the lights were on.

I took everything that had gone wrong in my life lately and brought it to the front of my mind. My friend's dying. Jake blackmailing my dad. My mom in rehab. My identity crisis. Jake dying. A new killer on the loose. The fight with Hayley. My feeling weak. The fact that Drew, a total stranger, knew I was weak. I took all of that and put into my gloved fists.

Once I got used to the weight of the bag I put more anger behind my punches. I knew next to nothing about boxing besides the fact that I was doing it wrong. That didn't matter now, all I needed to do was work out my issues in a productive way. By the end of the hour, my calf throbbed and my upper body screamed of misuse. I could only imagine what I'd feel like in the morning. Dang.

I gasped for air as I collapsed on the garage floor. A huge part of me felt satisfied, but the other part knew this fixed nothing. Everything that was wrong was still wrong. But somehow I didn't feel as bad about it as before.

My hand reached for the bottled water I brought with me, but it was too far away so I rolled the short distance. Only I rolled too far and my stomach crashed into one of the weights.

"Bite me." I cursed, then groaned. I gulped at the water willingly.

In need of catching my breath, I laid there for a while. My eyes looked to the ceiling, wondering how long I'd feel this pain. In situations like these, you always felt like you were drowning and you'd never resurface. But when you would look forward to the moment your head popped above the water and you realize everything's alright once again. I didn't know if I'd ever have that moment again.

Later on that evening, I message everyone to meet me at the pool at school. It was the last place I'd seen Jake alive, the last place we'd been happy together. What a laugh. We weren't happy. We were deluded into thinking we were ready for a relationship when we weren't. Maybe if I hadn't lowered my defenses to him he'd still be alive?

The pool had long since been empty, so it was just me while I waited for everyone to arrive.

"Hey," Everyone greeted as they sat around me with kind grins.

I offered a weak smile. "Thanks for meeting me."

Emma and Audrey hugged me.

"Not a problem." Kieran voiced.

"How you holding up?" Noah asked.

"As well as to be expected." I blew out a nervous breath. "I went to go see Jake...the body earlier."

Everyone stilled.

Audrey's hand rested on my knee. "Was that a good idea?"

I nodded. "If I didn't I'd regret it forever, I know I would."

"Well, I'm glad you did." Noah squeezed my shoulder with a soft smile.

I was still confused if he had told them about Eddie or not, but if he was keeping it from them what was the reason? He obviously wasn't the killer. The real killer chased after us through the woods.

"Sorry, I'm late guys." Eli jogged to us.

Amusement filled the air as he neared. Except for Kieran's end.

"It's okay," I assured. "You're on probation, though."

He blushed.

Emma laughed.

Audrey and I shared a knowing look. She wiggled her eyebrows and I laughed.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were with Aunt Tina?" Kieran asked.

Eli shrugged. "She left. Besides, I was invited." He said defensively.

Kieran looked at Noah.

Noah held his hands up in surrender. "Not me, I assure you."

"I invited him," Emma spoke up proudly.

Kieran scoffed.

And the love triangle commences.

"So I don't want to be the one to ask," Noah said. "But are we still having Kieran's bday party tomorrow?"

Everyone looked at each other, then we all looked at Kieran in expectation.

He looked at me with worried eyes. "Would it be too soon for you after everything that's happened?"

I shrugged. "Honestly, I could use a drink. And it's your birthday, you can die if you want to."

Everyone laughed except for Emma.

"What did I miss today?" I asked.

"Well, everyone's trying to be respectful." Emma started. "There's a bit of a panic in the air."

"Everyone's a suspect," Noah added with a hazed look in his eyes.

We sat there in union for a while often in silence. Maybe this was our vigil for Jake.

When a thought crossed my mind, I asked, "Have you guys seen your escorts today?"

No one said yes.

"They were all at the station earlier. I think everyone's need for this case. They don't want another serial killer on their hands." Kieran supplied.

"What were you doing at the station?" Emma asked concerned.

He gave her a look. "I go there to pay respect to my dad."

Ouch. I wouldn't want to be Emma right now. Actually, I'd love to Emma right now. Anyone besides myself would do.

Kieran stood to his feet. "I'll see you guys later."

Emma clenched her jaw in frustration.

"Are you two okay?" Audrey asked.

Emma shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's me." She looked at her lap.

Eli laid a hand on her shoulder. "Don't be silly."

Her hand rested on his, she gave him an appreciative grin. "Thanks."

He stood. "Actually, I'm going to talk to him."

Worry crossed her face. "What? Don't."

"Relax, Em. Not about you." He waved at us. "See you guys." He ran after Kieran.

I knew better to bring up their drama in front of Noah. However, he was great at keeping secrets apparently.

"Come on," Audrey pulled Emma along. "Let's go get ice cream." She pointed at Noah and I. "You guys in?"

My head shook. "No, thanks."

"Not tonight," Noah said.

They waved goodbye.

When I was sure they were gone I turned back to Noah. "Why didn't you tell them?" My hand hit chest.

He flinched. "Because I chickened out, okay. I was going to do it Monday, but then you left and had a fight with Stavo. I just didn't think it was the best time to deliver that news. And then Jake died," He paused and looked at me with sympathetic eyes. "Sorry. I didn't know what to do. Plus, I was kind of hoping it was all in my head."

"No, it wasn't. So we have to tell them. They have to be careful."

He nodded in agreement. "Sure, but does telling them that really change anything? They already know there's a killer in town."

My eyes narrowed. "So you want to lie to them?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, maybe. Look, what I did I'm not proud of anymore. I went overboard and it almost cost us our lives. What good would telling them do at this point?"

"I hate to say it, but you're right. I just don't like lying to them."

He hugged me. "Me, either." He huffed. "I told Stavo as much earlier."

I pulled away. "Did he agree with you?"

"Not really, but he said to go with whatever Brooke wants."

A grin came to my face.

His eyes softened. "I like Stavo as much as the next guy, but don't you think you guys are moving a bit fast?"

I nodded. "So fast." I let out a relieved breath at being able to talk to someone about it. "I don't know what to do. Most of the time we are fine, he's a good friend and listener. Then we have these intense moments and I feel so guilty..."

"Because of Jake?"

I nodded again. "What should I do?"

"Give yourself time to heal over Jake, then figure out if your guilt outweighs how you feel about Stavo." He said like it was easy as pie. "And maybe figure it out fast because I invited him to come here. He's on his way." He pulled away before I could hit him.

"Why would you do that, Foster?"

He gave me a look. "Because he has no friends here and he cares about you for some reason."

I sighed. "Noah," I groaned.

"What?"

"Every time I see him I just want to fuck him and you're not helping," I complained.

He burst out in laughter. "Overshare and that's your problem, not mine."

My brow arched at him.

"Oh, shut up." He left.

I pulled my knees to my chest as I waited for Stavo. This sexual tension really needed to peace out, at least until I had time to mourn Jake. Or maybe I'd take a break from dating. What I had with Seth wasn't very satisfying ironically, but I practically jumped into things with Jake after Audrey killed Piper. A break could be good for me. It would give me time to breathe-

I was shoved into the pool so fast I didn't see it coming. Water filled my mouth and nose. As I popped above the surface I was pushed back under with gloved hands on my head. I could make out the mask through the water. I screamed and protested only to have water fill my lungs. I was effectively drowning myself. Panic throbbed in my chest, then a peacefulness approached. If I stopped fighting it would be over. I could even see Jake.

The hands pulled away and I stayed where I was until hands pulled me out.

"Brooke!" A familiar voice called in panic. "Look at me!"

If I stayed where I was then I'd be okay.

Something hard hit my chest followed by air being pumped through my lungs.

"Come on," The voice pleaded. "Don't die on me now."

After a few more blows to my chest, the water made it's way up my throat and I sat up with a gasp. A cough took over my body.

"Thank God."

I looked over to see Stavo covered from head to toe in water. He looked at me with relieved eyes.

"What happened?" He checked me all over.

My eyes focused on a few bead of water as they trailed down his skin. I probably looked like a wet rat.

"The killer pushed me in and held me down."

He stood quickly and helped me up. "Come on, let's get out of here." He pulled me along.

I barely mustered up the energy to walk. The sweet peace I had in the moments I approached death played over in my mind.

"Crap." He cursed as he pushed the exit door. "It's locked." He walked us towards the school.

When the first few doors were not only locked, but chained shut he looked at me with a knowing look. The killer had locked us in.

He pulled out his phone but cursed when it was drenched. "I forgot it was in my pocket when I jumped in after you." He pulled us forward.

There was a noise like metal against lockers from nearby.

"We have to run. Can you run?" He asked in a panic.

I nodded. I didn't want to, but I didn't have a choice.

His hand grabbed mine as we raced through the hall.

My lungs hurt to breathe this much after inhaling all that water. I kept going even though my calf throbbed in pain as my will to keep going crumbled and I crumbled to the floor along with it.

He stopped abruptly and looked down at me. "You okay?"

My head shook.

"Can you keep going?"

I looked up at him with ashamed eyes. "No, I can't."

He seemed to know what I meant and stilled. "Yes, you can."

My eyes stung. "No," I cried. "I can't. Not anymore."

"Brooke, don't do this. Don't let him win." Desperation filled every word of his.

"He's already won! Jake is gone and he's not coming back." I gave an incredulous laugh. "All the doors are locked. Our phones are ruined. It's over." I reasoned.

His head shook. "It's not over until we're dead. And I don't plan on letting that happen."

I looked at him with broken eyes. "How are you going to stop it?"

"We're going to fight."

My head shook. "I can't fight anymore." I cried. My head hung in shame and exhaustion.

"Look at me, Brooke." He begged.

When I didn't he grabbed my shoulders.

"Look at me," His eyes burned into mine. "You have to fight. I can't do this alone. You have to fight."

I shook my head. "I'm sorry."

I didn't want to feel this pain anymore. The answer was so simple, just let it happen. I could be in peace if I just let it happen. I could be with Jake.

"No, I don't accept that. You have to dig deep and remember why you want to live. Jake wouldn't have wanted you to give up." His eyes insisted. "He would've wanted you to fight, so fight."

My tears dried up as his words resonated in me. At the mention of Jake my mind cleared. I knew he wouldn't have wanted this for me.

"Please," He begged. "If not for any of that then do it for me because I'm not leaving here without you."

My eyes searched his to call his bluff, but there was none. He told the truth. He wouldn't leave my side even if it got him killed. An idiot. But I couldn't have his life wasted because of my selfishness, so I dug deep and pulled everything worth fighting for to the service. The biggest reason was right in front of me.

I rose on shaky legs all by myself. I had to do this, I had to make the choice to live. He couldn't make it for me. My body ached and my mind was hanging on by a thread, but I had to keep going. For Jake. For Stavo. For my friends. For my dad. For myself.

Stavo looked at me with a question in his eyes.

I nodded.

We searched high and low for an exit, but every door we came across was locked. How did the killer have the time to do all of this? And how did they not go unseen?

"Look," Stavo pointed. "A light. It's Ms. Lang's office. Maybe she's in there."

"Or maybe the killer is luring us there?"

He looked down at me. "We have to check it out. If she dies because we didn't warn her then I couldn't live with that."

We headed for her classroom, but it was empty.

"Where is she?" I asked. "Her stuff is still here."

The metal against metal sound filled the halls.

Stavo pulled me along.

We rounded a corner only to scream at the sight of Ms. Lang.

She screamed back. "What are you two doing here? The school is closed."

My suspicion peaked. "What are you doing here?"

"Grading papers." She breathed out. "You guys scared the crap out of me. Why are you guys dripping wet?"

My eyes fell on her hands and I stilled. I tugged on Stavo's hand hard. He looked down at me, then followed my gaze to the black gloves she wore.

We took a step back.

"What's wrong?" She asked and took a step toward us.

I gulped. "The doors are locked and there's no way out. Someone tried to drown me." I accused.

Her eyes widened. "I'll call the police." She reached for her phone.

We took the opportunity to back away.

"Where are you going?" She brought her phone to her ear. "Wait, do you think it's me?" She gave a laugh. "I could never-" She stilled. Blood pooled out of her mouth.

A knife appeared in front of her neck, then sliced her throat from ear to ear.

Thick red blood fell from her throat as she dropped to the floor revealing the killer behind her.

Fear spiked in me.

Stavo dragged me along as we raced down the halls as fast as humanly possible. He ran up the stairs.

I thought this was slasher movie don't guideline, but we didn't really have anywhere else to go. I looked back to find the killer definitely on our heels. He slashed his knife out, but I jumped out of the way with a scream.

Stavo shoved me forcefully up the rest of the steps while he tried to fight off the killer.

Not this again.

The knife swiped across his chest, but he caught the killer's hand and power kicked his ass down the stairs.

"Go!" He rushed to meet me.

We ran through the halls, giggling door handles until he found one.

"I got one." He ushered me over. He looked around the halls before he closed the door.

We crouched underneath the teacher's desk, our breaths mingled.

"I can't believe he killed Ms. Lang," I whispered.

A few minutes went by.

The handle creaked open.

My breath came heavier until Stavo's hand covered my mouth. I turned to look at him with frightened eyes.

His eyes said everything would be okay, but we both knew he couldn't promise that.

The killer walked around the classroom, moved a few desks. "I know you're in here, Brooke. Your new boy toy won't protect you forever."

He couldn't kill Stavo, I wouldn't let him.

The door closed uncharacteristically.

I tried to say something, but Stavo shook his head. Wait, he mouthed.

That's what we did for who knew how long.

"Hello?" A familiar voice called. "Anyone here? I'm locked in."

I stilled.

Stavo gulped.

"That's Noah," I whispered as quietly as I could. "He's going to kill Noah."

"No, he's not." He lifted himself from under the desk.

My hand grabbed his. "What are you doing?"

"Going to help. Stay here."

"What?" I whispered angrily. "You're going to leave me here?"

He crouched down so we were eye level. "Noah's one of the only friend's I have here. I can't just let him die because I'm afraid to help."

Damn. He was right.

"But what if you die? I can handle anyone else dying right now." I panicked.

His hand squeezed mine. "Then I won't die." He leaned forward to press a kiss to my cheek.

My face broke out in tingles the moment his mouth touched it. I couldn't resist moving my face towards his so my mouth tugged at his in need. My hands grabbed his face to get a deeper embrace. By his flailing, I could tell he hadn't expected it to happen. My tongue sought his when what I really wanted to do was pull him on top of me, but there were more pressing matters at hand, so I forced myself to pull away.

His eyes remained closed for a few moments before he looked at me in shock.

"If you're going to die then I wanted a kiss. I had to know." I echoed his words back at him from the night of the barn. I didn't want to admit it, but I'd been a little worried he'd still have feelings for his dead ex, Angie. That kiss assured me that he wasn't still hung up on her. We both kind of knew once I got my shit together this thing between us would definitely happen.

There was something foreign in his eyes that I thought looked familiar, but I couldn't pinpoint it. He stood without another word and headed for the halls in search of Noah.

My hands ran down my face in stress. What was I supposed to do while I sat here like a sitting duck?

I pulled my phone out even though I knew it was too wet to be useful. Yet somehow it worked, but my hands were too wet for it to be of any help.

There was a banging on the door. "Let me in!" Noah demanded.

Was he okay?

I crawled from my spot. "Is Stavo with you?"

"No, open the door! The killer's out here!" He pounded on the door.

I yanked open the door to find the killer with his phone to his mouth.

"No, he's got me. Save yourself." He said and it sounded exactly like Noah.

What?

He dropped the phone to his side. "Surprise, Brooke."

I hurriedly shut the door, but his black boot stopped in the doorway. "What have you done with Stavo?" I pushed the door as hard as I could.

The knife slashed through the opening in the door and stabbed at me.

My eyes widened, but I couldn't move or he'd definitely get in. I screamed as it sliced at my arm.

The desk was too far away to move in front of the door. I was screwed.

"Hey! Over here!" Stavo yelled.

The attack on me stopped suddenly, the door slammed shut under my weight

"No!" I protested. "Don't hurt him!"

"Brooke, don't open the door! Run!" He instructed.

I really wanted to yank the door open, but I'd been fooled by the killer once already. How did I know Stavo wasn't already dead and he was using the app? How would my going into the hall not get me killed?

So I pushed the desk in front of the door as fast as I could, then retreated with my back against the wall. The windows caught my attention. The windows! I could get someone's attention if there was anyone around.

Hope filled my chest as I banged on the class at the few bystanders, but no one thought to look up at a closed school to see if a girl needed rescuing from a deranged killer.

Think. What can you do?

A curse left me at the sound of bodies hitting lockers. That desk would only hold him off for so long. Stavo was risking his life for nothing and I needed to come up with a solution like now.

My eyes ran over the classroom and landed on a chair. That's a weapon, I guess. I rushed to grab one, I put all my force behind throwing it into the window until the glass shattered.

"Help!" I yelled from the now open window. "Someone please help us! There's someone trying to kill me!" I checked behind me then turned back to the window. "Someone call 911, please!"

Now I understood why I needed a police escort and if Officer Loomis had been here I didn't think this would've happened. I knew what was happening, I shouldn't have stayed at the pool by myself. What a stupid ass mistake. Now Stavo was paying with his life for it.

I threw the chair out of the window, then I peered through the glass and looked for people. A few people had stopped. They pointed up at me.

"Call the cops! Please, help me!" I bellowed. "Someone's trying to kill me!"

A banging came from the other side of the door. The killer rammed into the door until he realized he couldn't get through. I thought I was safe until a few moments later when the other door handle started to giggle.

Fuck me.

I forgot about that door, but it was locked so he couldn't get in.

The sound of a key giggling came from nearby. Okay, that made sense. If he locked us in the school surely he had access to a set of keys.

Well, I couldn't stay in here, so the only other option was to go out of the window. I peeked out of the window. But it was so high. Well, not really, but high enough that I didn't think I could make it.

The door unlocked, my heart stalled in my chest. Once the killer stepped foot inside the classroom I climbed through the broken glass. My hands gripped the glass filled window pane until I grabbed a hold of the thick vine plant going up and down the wall of the school, something I had always despised for the eyesore it was, but now that it possibly saved my life I couldn't love it more.

Just as I jumped onto the vine the killer stabbed at the spot my hands were.

"Why are you doing this?" I demanded.

He leaned out of the window and swiped at me, but I moved towards the other window out of his reach.

My eyes went to the ground as I dangled. I wasn't strong enough to hold myself up. When I looked back up the killer was gone. He wouldn't just leave, would he?

The window closest to me opened up suddenly and there the killer was to surprise me. I let out another scream and scurried to the other side only to have him appear at the first window again. I dropped down a few inches in a panic.

"Someone help!"

This sick bastard was getting off on scaring me no doubt. And he succeeded.

"The police are on the way!" Someone yelled back. "Hold on, we have to find something for you to land on!"

God. How long would that take? I'd be dead if the killer got bold and decided the push himself out of the window and slice me up.

"You hear that?" I shot back at him. "They're coming for you." My hands were slipping from the blood trickling down my hands and the vine couldn't hold my weight forever.

"Not before you fall to your death." His creepy Branson voice was back.

I would've spat in his face if I didn't think the spit wouldn't just fall back in my face or land on his mask.

"Screw you."

His head tilted, then he reached out and the knife cut at the vine.

My head shook. "No, please don't."

A few of the vines had already given way and I fell a little bit more. Adrenaline filled my body. I had to get away from the vines. The window below wasn't that far away, but I doubted I could make it there and still keep my life. The last of the vines were almost cut and I had no other choice.

With as much courage as I could muster, I dropped my hands and angled my body at the window sill only to have my hands slid right off of it. My heart stilled in my throat as I fell to what had to be my bloody death. A scream ripped its way out of me.

I expected to not feel anything when I hit the pavement, but all of the breath was knocked out of me on impact. Arms pulled me towards something. Dread clouded my mind only to find Stavo looking at me. He held me in his arms, his eyes scanned my body. He caught me.

"Are you hurt?" He demanded. His forehead was bleeding and there were a few tears in his clothes. His brown eyes had a heavy glint to them. He looked as exhausted as I felt.

A relieved breath left me. I wrapped my arms around his neck. His warmth had never felt so inviting. His skin had never smelt so good. His arms around me had never felt so safe.

"Thank God, you're alive," I said into his neck.

Police sirens cried from the distance.

He set me down. "You, too. I heard you screaming and all I could do was pray for you to hold on a bit longer. No pun intended."

I gave a grateful grin. "Thank you for catching me."

His eyes gazed into mine. "Always."

"Oh my God, are you alright?" The people from before ran up to us, ruining our moment.

I nodded.

"Thank you for calling the police," Stavo said.

"I'm sorry we couldn't have helped sooner." Another person said.

The cops totally drove onto the sidewalk.

Sheriff Acosta rushed to us. "Clear the way!" He yelled to the bystanders.

"Dad," Stavo started. "I'm sorry-"

His dad wrapped his arms around him tightly. "Don't ever do that to me again."

Stavo hugged him back, but the shock on his face didn't escape me. "Okay." He patted his dad's back, then really hugged him back.

There was the silver lining of this whole fucked up situation; Stavo realized his dad actually cared about him. I could handle a few cuts and bruises if it meant I could help Stavo out with his drama.

"Brooke!" My dad called as he ran towards me.

"I'm fine, daddy," I assured. "My hands are scraped a little."

He crushed me to him anyway and planted kisses all over me.

I blushed all over. "Daddy," I pulled away.

Stavo laughed.

My dad checked me over. "What happened?" He looked at Acosta. "We should've kept a detail on them."

"It's not anyone's fault," Stavo assured.

The police descended upon the school.

"There's a body in there," I told Acosta. "Ms. Lang."

He sagged then looked at my dad. "Okay. Quinn, can you take them to the hospital? Again."

Stavo and I snorted a laugh.

"Let's go, kids." My dad lead the way to his car.

Stavo and his dad communicated in Spanish. I wish I knew what they were saying.

As we sat in the back seat of my dad's black Bentley I couldn't help but relax for a second. I've had hellish days before, but so much had happened within the course of today that my head was spinning.

"I'm glad you both are okay." My dad said.

"Thank Stavo. I couldn't have made it without him." I looked out of the window.

"Oh, that's so not true. She was hanging out of a window when I got there. She was a total badass, sir. And you totally would've survived that fall by the way." He elbowed me.

I looked at him in disbelief. "No, I wouldn't have." I met my dad's eyes in the mirror. "He totally ran out in the hall to save Noah only it wasn't Noah. The killer has this freaky voice app and it made him sound exactly like Noah."

"Yeah, that didn't really go as planned." He made a face.

I cracked a grin.

He smiled back. "I'm glad you're okay."

"You, too."

He leaned closer to whisper into my ear. "Don't think I forgot about that kiss." He leaned back to his side of the car.

Yeah, about that...

I gave a nervous half grin.

He laughed but pulled me closer even though I knew my dad could totally see us from the mirror. The balls on this kid.

"Another night survived." He muttered to me.

I relaxed against his warm body. "For now." I rested my head against his shoulder.

A/N: Sorry for the overdue wait, but I made it up to you by having an extremely long chapter. I've been writing fanfiction for about three years now and I have never written a chapter that came close to being this long.

I hope you guys know by now that the show's ratings are very low and that the show WILL BE CANCELLED IF WE DON'T GET THE VIEWERSHIP UP! I have a petition going around on I don't think the link will show up here but I'll put it anyways. It's titled: Renew MTV's Scream for Season 3...pretty please with a cherry on top! The link:

p/mtv-scream-renew-mtv-s-scream-for-season-3-pretty-please-with-a-cherry-on-top-lt-3. Also you can message me if you want the link. I'm live tweeting the show tonight at 10pm so you can chat with me there DeniquaNFrye (Stavo'sBrooke). Or on Instagram Coach_Deniqua or on Tumblr Brostavorunsmylifenowareyouhappy and my snapchat is Coach_Deniqua if you want to snapchat me but let me know how I know you so I'm not creeped out by random people sending me snaps haha. Thanks for reading yall!


	11. Stay

Shoutout to mtvscreamgirl for giving me the prompt to have Brooke want to give up and Stavo saves her :) I know a few others have given me suggestsions and I talk to way too many fan accounts to keep track of who, so please remind me when you read this. Thanks for reading yall! 

The song for this chapter is Rihanna - Stay

The day passed by as they all had in the past week, with a lot of police questions and hospital patch-ups. At this point, I had enough pain meds to start a drug market at school. I think Audrey could be management while Emma used her good girl image to distribute it. Noah would be the brains, I'd be the eye candy, and Stavo would be the muscle. Well, Stavo could be the brains and the muscle. He was probably smarter than Noah. Kieran could be a spy for the other blonde chicks pushing pills. Eli could be...he could be the flunky. I'm sure he'd jump at the chance to follow Emma around.

I shook the fantasy from my head and met the eyes of Officer Loomis. He looked a little concerned. All over little ole me.

"What's so funny, kid?" He asked as we walked through the hospital halls.

I shrugged. "You actually like me."

He scoffed. "No, I don't. I'm paid to protect you. And you got hurt when I was away. I just want to make sure that doesn't happen again."

"Whatever you have to tell yourself, Loomis. Go right ahead."

His green eyes rolled.

I cracked a grin.

"Brooke," Emma said from down the hall. "Oh, thank God." She rushed to me with Kieran and Audrey on her trail.

"Seriously, another attack?" Audrey demanded.

They surrounded me in a group hug.

"What can I say? We're made of steel."

Audrey's brow lifted. "We?"

I nodded. "Stavo was with me."

"Is he alright?" Kieran asked.

"A little banged up."

Noah and Eli rushed to us.

"We had to park the car. Buddy system you know." Eli supplied.

Noah hugged me tightly. "How you doing?"

I hugged him back. "As to be suspected." I gestured to my wrapped arm and hands. "Stavo's in room 12 if you want to go talk to him. He was worried about you."

Confusion crossed his face. "Why me?"

"The killer was able to sound just like you at the school. He used that to lure Stavo into the halls. He risked his life to protect you, or so he thought."

He looked touched. "Wow."

"Points for Stavo," Audrey muttered.

He patted my shoulder. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks."

He headed towards Stavo's room. Eli tagged along with him after he gave me a shy wave.

I couldn't figure that kid out. I guess, it was a job for Emma.

"I'm going to go talk to your dad, I'll be right back," Loomis said with a stern look to let me know to stay out of trouble.

My hands raised to the air in surrender. "I'll be right here."

By the time we finished getting questioned at the station it was late, but everyone was still wide awake. No one wanted to separate, so everyone decided they would sleepover at my house. At least, this way we would all be safe in one place. In theory.

Before anyone arrived, I washed up at my bathroom sink. I couldn't afford to get my bandages drenched, but when I realized I'd never get fully clean this way I jumped in the shower. My dad would just have to change the bandages.

When I got out I wrapped myself in a towel and headed to my room. I rifled through my underwear drawer.

"Is now the time you give me that lingerie show you owe me?" A voice asked.

I jumped ten feet in the air. My heart jumped along with me. I turned to find Stavo lying on my bed with his hands behind his head. He wore gray sweatpants and a black ACDC shirt. "What is your problem? After everything that's happened you sneak into my room? Does my dad know you're up here?"

"Your dad loves me. He practically gave me a condom on the way up." He grinned.

I threw the bra in my hand at him.

He caught it with ease and inspected it. He gave an appreciative nod. "Nice. Got any more delicates you want to throw at me?" His brow arched.

My eyes rolled. That wasn't a smart move on my part.

"Not particularly." I held my hand out for my bra.

"If it's all the same to you, I'll keep it." He smirked.

I gave him a look. "Want to try that again?"

He held it by the strap in the air. "You take the fun out of everything."

I snaked my bra away. "Fun my ass. Why are you so early?" I grabbed the rest of my clothes and headed into the bathroom to change.

"Maybe it has something to do with my attachment issues." He said from my bedroom.

I sighed as I pulled my underwear on. "You know I'm incredibly sorry about that." I stepped into my yoga pants. "Besides, it wasn't you I was referring to in that particular part of the juicy gossip."

"Interesting."

My face flushed even though he couldn't see me. As I pushed my head into the shirt he leaned against the bathroom doorway. His eyes didn't leave me while I pulled my hair back into a topknot. "Something on your mind?" My eyes met his in the mirror. I reached for the deodorant and applied it to my pits. Normally, I wouldn't let a dude see me doing some ungirly act, but Stavo wasn't just any dude. He was my dude. My friend dude.

"Somehow I thought my attachment ran only one way."

My eyes couldn't roll hard enough. "Please, you know I how I feel about you. We're friends."

His head tilted. "We're a little more than friends." He pushed off the door and stood behind me, his hands rested on the counter as he towered over me. "I think you tolerate me because you're lonely and I'm around." When I tried to turn around with a protest, he leaned against my back locking me in place.

Our eyes met in the mirror. My whole body tingled where we met.

"I'm attached to you, Brooke. A lot. You know that." He said into my ear. "So forgive my apparent clinginess. Is that okay with you?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat, then blew out a shaky breath. "Yeah-sure. That's fine...with me."

He chuckled. "Are you sure?"

My head nodded slightly.

"Cool."

"Cool." I mentally fanned myself.

He pulled away and took my hands in his for inspection. "Do you have more bandages? I can change them for you."

"Uh, yeah." I grabbed the first aid basket we picked up from under the cabinet.

He patted the countertop. "Have a sit."

Amusement flitted across my face. "What are you, my nurse now?"

He unraveled the wet and bloody bandages. "That's Doctor to you."

I chuckled. "Alright, Dr. Acosta. Has a nice ring to it."

His head shook. "Not to me. Drawing is my life. Nothing else matters as much." He applied the ointment to my ripped up palms with a q-tip.

I wanted to ask what about me, but that was a loaded question. Instead, I said, "You never showed me the rest of your drawings." I realized I never asked him why he had the mask, but that had more to do with not wanting to know the answer than forgetting.

He met my eyes. "I'll have to do that sometime."

"It's a date," I said without thinking.

He wore that lazy grin. "Alright, I'll hold you to that."

I fought to keep a grin off my face. I swallowed my hesitation and said, "About the kiss,"

"Let me stop you right there," He stopped and rested a hand on my knee. "I know you thought I was about to die and you didn't mean it. I'm not mad. And I don't expect anything from you. Not in the way you think."

"How do you know how I think?"

His eyes narrowed as he grinned. "It's not hard to assume."

I nodded. My newly bandaged hand rested on top of his. "For the record, I didn't kiss you because I thought you were going to die. I kissed you because I thought I was going to die. And I didn't want to die not knowing..."

His eyes searched mine. "Not knowing what?"

Shame and guilt filled me. There was no delicate way to voice this and I really didn't want him to be mad at me. Like ever again.

"Hey," He rubbed my knee in support. "You can talk to me."

"I know," I nodded. "It's just that this is going to sound really bad."

He looked a little excited. "Now you have to tell me."

My eyes averted to the side. "Well...I kissed you...I wanted to kiss you to see if you still had feelings for Angie." I wanted to fold in on myself. Now he probably thought I was a calculating she-devil.

I peeked at him. He looked at me with...I didn't know. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, which scared me.

"Please, say something."

He huffed. "I'm afraid to say anything."

My hand rubbed his. "I won't be mad, just tell me the truth."

His eyes fell on my lap. "I guess, maybe I do. Love her still." He looked back up at me. "Not like how I used to, but there's always going to be a part of me that wants her back. If I had the chance to bring her back I would." His eyes glazed over. "That's messed up, I know, but that's how I feel."

My hand slid up to squeeze his shoulder, but when that wasn't enough I pulled him to me in a hug. "It's okay. Trust me, I know how that feels."

He hugged me tight. "But that's not fair. To me or you. Or anybody else."

I rubbed his back. "If it was fair it wouldn't hurt this much."

He pulled away after a few more seconds. "If I'm being honest, you kind of remind me of Angie. Maybe that's why I like you much."

I grinned at the almost compliment. "If I'm being honest, you kind of remind me of Jake. And maybe that's why I like you so much."

He offered a weak grin. "Maybe we're both just really screwed up."

I laughed. "Probably so."

He finished patching up my arm in comfortable silence right when the doorbell rung, probably our Chinese food. He turned around and bent over. "Hop on."

I didn't second guess it and did as told. My arms wrapped around his neck.

He held me into place then started for the stairs.

"I don't think my dad's done this in six years." I beamed in glee.

His head turned to look at me. "You can call me daddy then. I like that."

"No, I will not." I laughed. "That's gross."

He carefully raced us down the stairs. "Don't knock it until you've tri-"

We came to a halt at the sight of our friends in their pj's, holding snacks and pillows. They stared at us with narrowed eyes.

I slid off his back. "Hey, guys." I cleared my throat. "You're early."

"Not early enough," Kieran commented with a grin.

"I'm starving. Where's the grub?" Eli asked on his way to the kitchen.

Emma followed him. "You can't just barge into people's kitchens."

"Sure I can." He threw back as they disappeared.

"Anyway," Audrey pushed forward with her sleeping bag. "I was thinking the genre of entertainment tonight should definitely not be horror." She stared at Noah and Stavo.

They sagged.

"You're no fun," Noah whined.

"Agreed." Stavo chimed in.

She gave them both the middle finger. "That's what I think about your nerd love of the slasher kind. You can always have your own sleepover. Maybe make out a little while you're at it."

They flushed.

I pointed at Stavo with a laugh. "You got burned."

He playfully smacked my finger away. "You got burned." He mimicked back.

"You guys are gross," Audrey commented. "Get a room."

My arms folded across my chest. "You're just jealous, Ms. Why don't I have a girlfriend/boyfriend."

She made a face. "Oh, I could a boyfriend and a girlfriend if I wanted one." She pointed at Stavo. "You think I'm hot right, Stavo?"

He nodded. "Yeah, in a 'Will you kiss me or kill me kind of way'." He grinned with a wink.

Her head tilted. "I don't know if that was a compliment or not."

"He does that," I muttered.

"Don't be jealous, Brooke." He slung an arm over my shoulders. "You're still my number one."

The doorbell rung.

I shrugged his arm off of me with a roll of my eyes. "That better be our food." I huffed.

I opened the door to find the killer with delicious smelling Chinese in his arms. A scream ripped from my throat.

"Get away from the door," Kieran demanded.

Stavo dashed in front of me protectively. An idiot.

"What's going on?" My dad asked as he barreled out of his office.

The killer took off his mask with a laugh. He pointed at us in amusement. "Oh, man. You should've seen your faces." He keeled over in laughter.

I placed my hand on Stavo's arm. "Is he pranking us?"

Kieran rushed forward. "What the hell is your problem, man?" He grabbed the delivery boy by the cape.

"It was a joke, relax."

Everyone crowded in the doorway now.

"You think this is funny? You think them almost dying is funny?"

"Kieran," Emma pushed forward.

He looked back at her. "What?"

"Let's not make a scene."

My dad cleared his throat. "I think your supervisor will find this hilarious."

The guy paled. "Oh, come on. It was just a harmless prank."

Kieran shoved him back, then snatched the bags of food from him. "Get out of here."

"Honey, are you okay?" My dad asked.

Everyone turned to me like I was about to break. I wasn't made of glass, but I might as well have been in their eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I fled to the kitchen for a breather. I opened the fridge and pretended to look for something.

A moment later Stavo leaned against the closed fridge door, he looked down at me with his bedroom eyes. "You okay?"

"Yup, I just wish people would stop expecting me to crumble. I mean, I did earlier, but I'm fine now. I'm not going to break. Not anymore."

He placed one finger on my cheek and turned my head to look at him. "Your friends don't think you're weak. Neither does your dad. They're just worried about you. In the span of one week, you were attacked three times." He whispered the last part because only a select few knew about the barn incident. "They know you're strong. They saw you kick Hayley's ass." He gave a lazy grin. "I don't doubt your strength, neither should you."

"Why are you always right about everything?"

He smiled his dimpled smile. "I'm not always right. I just believe in you, Brooke. You should believe in yourself."

The fact that he was near perfect should've made me wary, but so far he'd been there for me in ways my friends and family couldn't. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I needed him. But I kind of think he needed me back, so I didn't feel so crazy for feeling that way.

I offered a grin. "You know you're making it really hard not to want to kiss you right?"

He smirked. "I know."

A laugh bubbled from me, he joined in. "Let's go eat."

He followed.

Everyone had already started eating while my dad yelled at who I assumed was the Chinese restaurant we ordered from. And he gave them an ear full.

"Boy," Stavo nudged me. "I would not want to piss your dad."

I nodded. "You'd be right."

They moved the table out of the way and spread out the blankets. Audrey and Eli were the only ones with sleeping bags. In fact, Eli had some special type of sleeping bag that had legs. It had a face hole. He zipped himself in as I grabbed a box of pork lo mein.

"So question," Audrey pointed at him. "What are you wearing?"

He walked a few paces in it then walked backward with the biggest grin on his face. "It's awesome right?"

Emma giggled. "No, where did you get that?"

"I don't know," Noah inspected it. "I kind of like it."

Audrey grinned at him. "Birthday present?"

He nodded. "You know me so well."

They did their little nerd handshake thing.

"We're probably not going to have school tomorrow," Kieran said. "What with Ms. Lang dead and all."

Everyone stared at him.

"Way to sound insensitive," Audrey noted.

He looked apologetic once he realized what he said. "Sorry."

Stavo waved it off. "I think my dad wants to enforce a town-wide curfew."

"That's not a bad idea actually," Noah added. "Smart, but the killer will find a way around it eventually."

Audrey kicked his foot. "Dude."

He shrugged. "Just saying."

"He's right, though," I spoke up. "The killer will come back for me. For all of us eventually. We need to think of a plan like yesterday."

Everyone nodded.

The usual 'No one goes anywhere alone' and 'avoid sketchy locations' was thrown around. Nothing new.

Crickets filled the room.

Stavo cleared his throat. "Brooke bought a punching bag."

I shot him a look of betrayal.

"Really?" Emma grinned.

"Awesome." Eli gave me a thumbs up while still in his weird sleeping bag.

Kieran looked interested. "You know how to use it?"

I made a face. "Not so much. I just sort of punch it."

Stavo laughed, clearly paying me back for making him carry it and put the whole thing together.

"I have one, too." Audrey looked at me. "I'll teach you how you punch and kick correctly."

"Can I sit in on that session?" Eli grinned.

Kieran punched him in the arm.

I still couldn't get over Eli in that damn thing, so I laughed as I leaned into Stavo.

He grinned down at me.

"Okay, so do you guys think we should all do some sort of defense training?" Emma asked. "I don't think that's a bad idea."

"I think that's a good idea." Kieran agreed. "I'm sure Stavo knows how to use a gun. Sheriff's kid and all."

He nodded. "You want to teach everyone to shoot?"

Kieran grinned. "If you're up for it?"

"I guess, sure."

I was so happy everyone tried to make him feel included. Even Audrey seemed to have come around.

"I think Audrey can teach you guys a few things. Remember when she totally put Will on his ass that one time, Em?"

"Who's Will?" Stavo asked.

A silence went around once I realized my mistake.

Emma sighed. "My ex-boyfriend. Piper killed him, too."

Stavo looked saddened by the news while Kieran just looked awkward. A sadness filled the room as we all remembered someone we lost.

"I have an idea," Noah perked up. "Why don't we go around the room and say what we missed the most about everyone we've lost? Their greatest hits. That kind of thing."

I realized that Stavo and Eli wouldn't be saying anything during this event and would most definitely feel left out and awkward, but I thought it was a good idea.

Things were said about Riley, Nina, Will, Rachel, Sheriff Hudson, and Tyler. Not everyone had something to say about them besides Emma and I. We were the only ones left of our original friend group, a feeling that no one else understood besides us.

"Jake Fitzgerald," Noah started. He gave a light laugh. "Jake and I didn't really get along at first."

A few of us grinned at the memory.

"But once I painted doosh on his car I think I won him over." He chuckled. "To this day I'm not even sure if he realized I spelled it wrong."

Jake wasn't the brightest bulb in the lamp, so probably not. I still laughed.

Audrey laughed loud. "I remember a few weeks ago I was at home and I went down to the kitchen for a snack and Jake was just there eating my leftover Thai food."

Classic Jake.

Kieran nodded. "Jake was a lot of things. He put on this frat boy act to hide the fact that he was lonely. It wasn't until you were really alone with him, just you and him, that he dropped it. And you'd get a glimpse of who he really was." He looked at me. "I really liked those glimpses."

Emma shifted and cleared her throat. She grinned up at the ceiling. "Jake...When I first became friends with you guys," She pointed at me. "I was convinced that Jake was trying to sleep with me."

"He probably was." I cracked a grin.

Her head shook. "No, he wasn't. I remember one day he pulled me aside and told me, 'You seem like a nice girl, so what are you doing with Will?' And I couldn't figure out for the life of me why he said that until you told me what Will did with Nina. Jake in his own Jake way was trying to warn me, I guess. He said things like that to me in private often actually. I just assumed he wanted to get a rise out of Will, but he was being a decent friend." Tears filled her eyes, but she wiped them away with a hopeful grin. "You remember that time he pranked us on Halloween?"

I nodded with a laugh. "Yeah. He got Will and Tyler to lure us to that abandoned house and they left us there for like thirty minutes."

"And they pretended like they were being chased around. Jake had that chainsaw and mask."

I could see it clear in my mind like it was yesterday, a time when all of our friends were alive.

"He scared the crap out of us. Nina almost ran him over with her car."

Sadness and nostalgia washed over me, but I wouldn't let it linger for more than a second. I wanted to remember happy things about Jake.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Jake Fitzgerald. My childhood tormentor." I gave a wry grin. "Like Kieran said, Jake was a lot of things. He was a liar and a manipulator, he was really awful a lot of the time. But he was a great friend when you needed him to be." I looked around at my friends and saw their sad expressions. "If he were here right now he'd be telling us to stop moping and start drinking because The Jake isn't the life of the party, he is the party." I turned to Stavo. "Tell us something good about Angie."

He looked shocked that I brought her up, but this was the time if he wanted to open up to the group.

I could tell everyone wanted to ask who Angie was, but they put together that she had to be dead if I brought her up.

He sat up straighter and looked around at us. "Angie Wyatt. My dead ex-girlfriend." He started to quench their thirst. "She was the smartest girl I'd ever come across. The funniest, too. I remember what she wore the first time I saw her. A green blouse and blue jeans. She rode right past me on her skateboard. A hot girl rides past you on her skateboard and you can't help but think about her, right?"

The guys nodded.

I watched as everyone listened to him with a newfound respect.

"Anyway, Angie would love all of you guys. She was open like that. May she rest in peace." He finished.

My hand grabbed his.

He gave me an appreciative nod.

Eli cleared his throat. "Well, everyone important in my life is still alive, so I'll just sit here awkwardly."

Noah looked at him. "Can I borrow that sleeping bag some time?"

Eli nodded. "Sure. Just make sure you wash it. It gets kind of sweaty in here."

Everyone got into a discussion about why the sleeping bag was both great and gross.

Stavo leaned down to whisper, "Thanks for that. I really needed it."

"What are friends for?"

My dad walked out of his office. "Brooke, I have to go take care of some things. I'll be back as soon as possible. Loomis and a few others are surrounding the perimeter. No one's going to hurt you guys with them here."

I followed him to the door. "Is this about mom?" I whispered.

He nodded. "Dr. Craven said it was an emergency. I'll call you if it's something serious."

In my book an emergency and something serious was the same damn thing, but who knew what went on in my father's head.

"Okay." I hugged him. "Be safe."

"Will do." He waved at everyone, then left.

I turned back to them. "Alcohol, anyone?"

There was a collective cheer.

"I'll get it." Emma jumped at the chance.

Audrey and I shared a concerned look, then followed her into the kitchen. She grabbed a bottle of tequila and shot glasses.

"Hey, are you okay?" Audrey asked.

She nodded.

"Anything you feel like getting off your chest?"

She shook her head.

"Are you sure about that? Because with this liquor in our system's secrets are bound to be spilled." I encouraged. "Like boy problems and such."

Her hand shook a little as she poured it. "There's nothing that needs to be talked about guys. I'm fine."

Audrey and I looked at each other.

"Oh, you are so not fine." I threw back a shot and winced. "Because I'm not fine watching you pretend like you're fine. Spill, Em."

She shrugged and finally looked at us. "What do you want me to say?"

Audrey rubbed her back. "Say what you feel."

She gave a wry grin. "I can't say what I feel without messing everything up. So let's go back to I'm fine, alright?"

With the agreement between us, we made our way back to the living room with the shots. Audrey held hers and Noah's. Emma held hers, Kieran's, and Eli's. I held mine and Stavo's. Only Stavo was nowhere to found.

Eli had taken off the sleeping bag. "He ran to the bathroom." He supplied as he took the shot from Emma with a grin.

She blushed.

Kieran watched them with careful eyes.

Noah watched Audrey as she watched them.

I cleared my throat. "Let's drink to our lost friends." I held my shot in the air. "Lost but not forgotten."

Everyone held their shots in the air.

"To Rachel." Audrey tipped back her shot.

"To Riley." Noah grimaced before he drank.

"To my dad." Kieran drank.

Emma squeezed his hand. "To Will and my deranged sister who had to grow up thinking the way she did." She offered a sad smile. "I would've liked to have known her without all the dramatics." She drank.

"To Uncle Clark." Eli patted Kieran's shoulder. "I didn't say anything for him earlier, but he was the best damn uncle I could've asked for. And I wish he was my father." He took the shot.

Kieran looked at him like he realized that Eli felt that pain too. "Thanks, man."

Eli offered a friendly grin.

I bit my lip. "To Jake. And to Ms. Lang. And anyone else who this new killer takes away from us." I threw it back. Because Stavo was still in the bathroom I his up his shot. "To Angie." I downed his shot, too. "God, that was gross."

Everyone nodded.

I went to get a refill on the shot for Stavo. I returned as he walked down the stairs.

"What's this?" He asked.

"It's a shot," I said sarcastically.

He rolled his eyes. "Obviously. Of what?"

"Tequila." I handed it to him.

"Uh..." He handed it back to me. "I actually don't drink anymore."

The room filled with silence.

"Excuse me?" I asked politely.

He looked around at all of us. "Well, ever since Angie's death I kind of don't drink alcohol anymore. Her hit and run was because of alcohol." He met my eyes. "So I don't drink anymore."

I felt like that was a moment that should've been between the two of us, but instead, it was in front of everyone. Now I was so attached to him I didn't want to share our moments with our friends.

Oh, God.

I threw it back.

"Brooke, maybe you should slow down," Kieran said. "That was your third shot."

Shit.

Stavo looked at me with amusement. "I was gone for like five minutes."

I shrugged. "I needed the vice."

"You and me both, but could it taste any more expired?" Audrey commented. "It smells a little ripe, too."

Emma held her finger in the air. "Hey, I did the honorable thing and grabbed the alcohol Jake gave you."

I stilled. "Roll that back one more time, Em."

"The Tequila," She shook her empty glass. "Was from Jake. It had his name on it. I just thought you were saving it for a special occasion...and this seemed like a perfect time." She sighed. "Why are you looking at me like?"

"Jake never brought me any..." I trailed off with the worst thought imaginable. My eyes went to Stavo. He was the only one that knew about my messages from the killer. He had read through all the messages, so I was little disappointed he hadn't picked up on what I pieced together.

"Spit it out, woman," Eli said.

"Jake was never in Mexico. He died probably on Sunday. So he never sent me that bottle of Tequila he promised for Kieran's party."

Stavo stiffened. "Crap."

"Wait, for the rest of us who don't know what you're talking about, can you fill us in?" Audrey asked irritated.

I sighed. "The killer has been sending me messages. He or she was pretending to be Jake." I gave an incredulous laugh. This was something I didn't want to be right about, but there was no other explanation. "We were texting with the killer. All of us in our group messages. If we had actually said anything important he would have the inside scoop. God, I'm such an idiot."

"Don't say that." Stavo placed a hand on my back. "How could you have known?"

My eyes widened. "Because it wasn't Jake. I should've known."

"It's not that hard to be Jake." Kieran defended. "Just say some douchey things and act cocky."

"Screw you, Kieran." I scowled at him.

Emma stepped. "Hey, chill out. What Kieran means is that it's easy to imitate someone through texts. You couldn't have known that it wasn't Jake."

"I was in love with, Em. I should've known."

Everyone gave me a pitiful look.

My eyes rolled. "If you were in my shoes and it was Kieran instead of Jake, would you have known it wasn't him?"

She looked put on the spot. "Of course."

"Because you're dedicated to him, right?" I couldn't keep the bitchiness out of my voice.

"Brooke," Audrey complained. "Stop."

"What? This is what everyone expects from me, right?" I looked around the room. "You still think I'm the old me. Am I wrong?"

No one said anything, which was proof enough.

I nodded. "That's what I thought."

"You're sweating," Stavo commented.

Nausea overtook me.

He looked at everyone else. "You all are sweating."

"I don't feel so good." Noah held his stomach.

"Me either." Audrey fanned her face.

I tried to sit down but stumbled. Stavo caught me.

Then everyone started running for the bathrooms.

Stavo ran me to one of the downstairs bathrooms. He held my hair back as I puked in the toilet. "Get it all out."

Why did I take three shots?

I hurled up some more Tequila and Chinese. Gross combination.

I rested my forehead on the lip of the toilet. "I hate that you have to see me like this." I groaned.

He handed me a tissue. "I really could care less how you look right now, Brooke. I just want to know that you're okay." Concern laced his voiced.

"Awww-" I threw up some more.

After I was sure I got it all out he helped me back to the living room where everyone else was pouring in.

"I'll get you guys some waters." He ran to the kitchen.

I felt oddly calm and light. Was that a bad thing?

"How do you guys feel?" Kieran asked as he held Emma.

"Wired." Audrey supplied.

Noah looked around. "Nervous,"

Eli grinned. "Chill as fuck." He laughed. "We should do this more often."

Stavo returned with an armful of bottled waters and passed them out.

"Wait, does this mean the Tequila is from the killer?" Emma asked.

Stavo and I looked at each other.

He sighed. "Probably." He sat by me, then picked up a shot glass and brought it to his nose.

"Then we should get everyone to the hospital, just to be safe," Audrey suggested.

Stavo sighed heavily. He looked at all of us. "Back in Phoenix, it was a thing to go to the desert and trip on Ayahuasca." He admitted. "I did it myself once. It had that same pungent smell as that Tequila. It made you hurl, too. I think you might've been doused."

"So what? Are we like going to die now?" I looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"No," He cracked a grin. "I'm not going to let that happen."

I tried to smile back, but crushing guilt washed over me.

"Ayahuasca," Noah started as he looked at his phone. "Use as a spiritual medicine in ceremonies among the indigenous people's of Amazonian Peru."

"Yeah," Stavo nodded. "So if that's what it is the puking should stop soon. It's fairly harmless."

Noah continued, "Individuals often feel like they gain access to higher dimensions. And make contact with spiritual guides." He looked up at Stavo. "What does that mean?"

"It means we start hallucinating."

Emma sighed. "Oh my God."

Stavo leaned forward on his knees. "Or not. It affects everyone differently. Some people feel wired." He gestured to Audrey. "Some people get tired and pass out." He gestured to Kieran who rested his head on Emma's shoulder. "Or if you're like me you get super relaxed." He gestured to Eli. "No inhibitions. It all depends on what's buried inside you. It brings that truth to the surface."

"You seem to know a lot about a drug you only did one time." Emma looked at him suspiciously.

His head tilted. "Suspicion. Paranoia. Ayahuasca can do that, too."

Audrey huffed and started to pace. "Look, if we're all about to start hallucinating we need to keep everyone inside. No wandering off. If this is what the killer wants, then he or she just made us easy targets." She looked at Stavo with old dislike. "And you're the only one here who didn't take a shot, so you're the only one who will know what's really happening. If we see the killer how do we know it's not a hallucination?"

"That's the whole point of this," Noah added. "They're getting off on our fear and paranoia. The killer might not ever show tonight, but the fact that we won't know for sure is what's exciting to them."

"Funny how all of a sudden you don't drink, Stavo." Audrey accused.

"Seriously, Audrey?" Emma asked. "Lay off. He didn't do anything wrong."

"How would you know? You're too busy paying attention to Kieran and Eli." She shot back.

Emma scoffed.

I shot up and headed for the kitchen. "I can't do this right now." I filled a glass with water and downed it in a few seconds, then refilled it and set the glass on the island. My hands gripped the counter.

Was I gonna throw up again? Was it hot in here?

My eyes zeroed in on the glass as it became aflame. Green flames to be exact. No, purple flames. And blue flames. What did it mean? Why was it happening to me? What did the flames mean?

Lightheadedness decided to take over my body, I let go of the island and readied myself to hit the floor when an arm wrapped around my stomach. The body heat almost melted me on contact. I struggled to look up at whoever was behind me, but my body already knew who it was even if my mind didn't.

My hand ran up the tan arm around me, touching it for reassurance. His skin was soft and hot, so I kept rubbing it until his sleeve came up. A tattoo revealed itself on his forearm. A knife. Had that always been there? I traced my fingers over it in awe. The ink started to swirl into something fleeting.

I looked up to find Stavo peering down at me. "You look like you needed a hand." He said.

His eyes burned with fire. "Your eyes," I leaned closer. "Do they always look like that?"

He chuckled. "Maybe you should lay down?"

I nodded, but my head weighed a ton. "Yeah."

Somehow we made it up to my room in a second flat. Or maybe I didn't have a concept of time anymore. He laid me on my bed and began rubbing my foot.

"Just keep your eyes clothes." His voice echoed in my head.

The room spun out of control. My head wouldn't clear of the remorse I felt.

"I don't like this," I told him. I didn't like feeling this way. I didn't like feeling this way about him. And I didn't like feeling this way about Jake.

Stavo looked up at me from the end of my bed. "You okay?"

My head shook. "Make it stop. Please, make it stop."

"You'll be okay. Just let me get guide you through this, alright?"

I didn't have a choice, did I? He was the only sober and clear headed person here right now and probably the person I trusted most at the moment.

He continued to rub my foot. "Just focus on my voice."

It felt so good I tried to hide my moan, but it leaked out. Shame washed over me.

"Tune everything else out."

I tried to do what he said, but everything was connected. My sheets tightened underneath my hands.

"What the hell are you doing with this guy, babe?" A familiar voice called to me. Jake appeared by my dresser.

There he was. Normal-looking. Alive. My Jake. But he wasn't my Jake. He was RIP Jake because he was dead. And this was a hallucination of the worst kind.

Stavo looked up at me. "You okay?"

"No." I cried. "No."

Jake moved to lean against my desk. "You think he wants to help you? Seriously? He just wants in your pants." He laughed in disbelief.

"Make it stop," I begged. "Please, make it stop."

Jake appeared next to me on the bed suddenly. "You want to have sex with him." He stood behind Stavo. "But you can't because you're still in love with me."

Anger filled me. "Shut up!"

Jake replaced Stavo as he rubbed my foot. "I'm just saying what you're thinking, babe." He moved closer. "You're not over me." He chuckled.

I shook his hand off as I scurried off the bed. "Leave me alone!" I ran for the bathroom.

Once in there, I locked the door behind me. I leaned against the counter as Jake spoke in my head the one thing that I didn't want to hear. This wasn't him talking. Or was it? Maybe it was Jake's spirit and he came back to talk some sense into me. Or haunt me. This was what nightmares were made of.

"Brooke," Stavo knocked on the door. "You want me to come in?"

My head shook. "No, please don't."

"Alright, I'm going to go check on the others and I'll be right back."

I slid down to the bathroom floor as I tried to block out Jake's screaming in my head.

"This isn't real," I whispered to myself. "You're not really here. Go away."

Jake appeared in front of me. "You'd like that, wouldn't you? Get me out of the way so you can go sleep with the next guy that smiles at you. Did Branson even try with you or did you just give it up?"

My eyes squeezed shut. "Go away. Please."

"You don't want me here?"

I shook my head. "No, not like this."

Silence filled the room for so long that I opened my eyes. He was gone. I didn't know whether to feel relieved or saddened. That was the last time I'd see Jake how he used to be and not how he is now. No matter how much I tried to remember good things about him it still hurt. He was still gone. And I still missed him. I couldn't help but think back to the pool when I had a brief feeling of peace. The most serene feeling I've ever felt was only a few moments away and Stavo yanked me away from that.

By all accounts, I should be pissed at Stavo. If he hadn't talked me off the ledge in the halls or been there when I fell I might be happy right now. I might be with Jake. But I couldn't hate him because he'd been the only sane part of my life lately. He'd been the only thing that made me feel like I wasn't a total nutjob. He'd been the only one that made me feel safe and smart. It was almost like he set out to build me into a better person. For a fleeting second, I thought that maybe I'd been his charity case, but that thought flew out the window because I knew for a fact that he cared about me. He had invested a good chunk of time into me and our friendship. He liked me. So I didn't fault him for doing what he needed to do.

I couldn't think of him right now, I had to think about me and what I felt. Frankly, I didn't know if I could do this. I didn't know if enduring this pain made me stronger or an idiot when there was a simple solution at every turn.

With unstable hands, I reached for the sharp, metal razor in my makeup bag. I sat on the lip of my bathtub with the razor held to my wrist. The sharp blade tickled the skin, but I didn't move it. It just sat on the surface as it waited for me to make a decision.

This isn't who you are, I said to myself. But it hurts. It hurts so much. I've lost half the people I've cared about. I can't lose another.

The razor shifted on my skin as my mind battled for the right answer. I knew if I did this I would be disappointed my dad, my friends, and unfortunately Stavo. I didn't want to do this to him, especially after what happened with his mom and Angie. I didn't want to do this period, but I couldn't think of an alternative of us actually making it out alive this time. Knowing Stavo, he'd get himself killed trying to protect me or one of our friends. I couldn't be around to watch that. I couldn't be around to endure that pain. I cared about him too much.

The door opened suddenly. "Did you hear m-" Stavo cut himself off when he processed what it was that I debated. He snatched the razor away from. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

I couldn't look him in the eyes, so I shrugged.

He crouched down so we were eye level. He held the razor in his hand. "What is it that you wanted to do with this?" His eyes searched mine. In that moment I realized his eyes weren't on fire anymore and they weren't just brown. They were a light brown, a warm fall brown. "Brooke?"

I snapped out of it. "I wasn't going to do it. I couldn't."

He handed me the razor. "Are you sure? Cuz it looked like you were ready? And if you're going to off yourself then go ahead and do it." He didn't say it rudely, but in a way that made it clear he didn't want me to do. "Do it." His voice rose.

My head shook as I flinched. "I can't." I threw the razor onto the counter.

"Why is that?" His brow arched. "Don't hold back on my account, I can't make this decision for you."

"Because I'm a coward. And I can't leave my dad like that." My eyes fogged up. "No matter how easy it would be, how peaceful, I can't do it." Tears slid down my face as I nodded. "And I wish I could because the pain would just stop. I'd get to see all my friends again. I'd get to see Jake again. The real Jake, not some hallucination trying to make feel guilty."

Confusion crossed over his face. "What do you have to feel guilty about? Surviving?"

I gave a wry grin. "No, I wish it were that simple."

His hands grabbed mine. "Then what is it?"

Our eyes locked.

"You. I shouldn't feel this way about you, not when I feel this way about Jake. Not when he just died, but I do. That's not right, Stavo. I wish I didn't feel this way, at least not right now. But I do and it's making me feel really shitty."

He nodded. "Is that why you wanted to do that?" He gestured to the counter where the razor laid.

"No," I dismissed quickly. "I just don't know what I'm doing anymore. One minute I want to fight and they next I want to give up. I don't want to do either and at the same time I want to do both."

His thumb wiped my tears away. "If you need help we can get you some."

"And go to a therapist and pour all of my problems on them? That's going to help me?" Disbelief colored my tone.

"I don't know, but you have to ask for help if you feel like you're lost. There's no shame in admitting it."

I gave him a look. "Isn't there?"

A memory crossed his face, his far away eyes peered over my shoulder. "When I was dealing with life after Angie died I tried to kill myself a few times." He looked back at me. "Thank God Cage and Nikki were there. I owe them my life. They made sure I didn't give up, they made sure I knew how important my life was. They got me the help I needed. My dad couldn't get me to go to my therapist, but they could eventually. So I know what it is to feel like quitting. I know what it is to feel ashamed to ask for help. I don't think less of you for breaking down because you've been through so much so still be standing. In fact, when I look at you, Brooke, I see strength. I see courage. And sass." He grinned. "I see a beautiful girl that wants desperately to become a strong woman. If you continue to fight you're halfway there. If you let me I can help you."

"You think I'm strong? After all of this? After you've seen?" I stared at him incredulously.

He stared back, his gaze unwavering. "I know you're strong. Even if you don't believe it, you're a fighter. You went up against this psycho twice, you have the scars to prove it. You're still here, aren't you?"

I nodded. "I guess, I am."

"And if you want," He grinned. "I can tone down the sexy."

I laughed. He made me do that. I didn't think I'd laugh for a long while after tonight, but here I was. I think he has magic powers.

"No, I like the sexy. Besides, our foreplay only makes it hotter when I fuck you."

As soon as I said I knew what a mistake I made. So I just looked over his shoulder in hopes he didn't hear that. But when I looked at him I knew that was no such luck.

He smirked. "You know you make this friends thing equally as hard for me, quite literally."

I blushed. "I know. I didn't mean to say that."

"I think you did." He teased.

My head shook. I tried to hide my smile. "No, I don't think I did. In fact, I think your perfectness brings my guard and I say whatever pops into my head. I'm usually quite in control over these situations. There's just something about you." I stared at him like he was a puzzle. In a way he sort of was. One on hand, I knew so much about his character as a person. On the other hand, I knew very little about him. But one thing I knew for sure was that he cared about me.

"How do you do that?" I asked as I gazed at him.

"Do what?"

"How do you look at me the way you do after seeing how messed up I am? I told I was broken that night at the movies and I meant it. So how do you still look at me like that?"

He sighed, then grabbed my hips and sat me in his lap. "To risk a boner, I need you to know that my view of you hasn't gone down. It's only gone up, Brooke. You continuously show me that you'd risk your life for your friends. You show me that you want to grow up and get the hell away from here. And even though I may not deserve it you show me that you care me about me, too."

A thought occurred to me, that he didn't think he deserved to be loved after what happened with his mom and Angie, but I kept that thought to myself for fear of being right. He was so open with me that I found that heartbreaking to believe.

"Do you get it now?" He asked with a trace of a grin on his face. "We've both been through a lot together and I don't expect you be unscathed by it. I know I'm not."

My head tilted as I inspected him. "You don't it. Not like I do."

"That's because I've had a lot of practice learning how to hold everything in. If you met me a year ago you wouldn't say that. I used to go off at every little thing. Besides, we both can't be drama queens." His dimples appeared.

"You're aesthetically pleasing," I muttered.

He laughed. "If you keep blowing my head up this won't end well for anyone."

My eyebrows wiggled in mischief. "You're almost making this too easy for me, Acosta."

He flushed. "That was an accident, I swear."

I felt his erection poking me in the leg. My eyes widened. How big was it? The imprint looked like a freaking snake.

"You need to get off my lap." He laughed.

I did as instructed. "You're the one that put me there in first place." I held my hands up in surrender.

He stood up. "I would say it won't happen again, but we both know that's not true." He winked as he walked past me. "Let's go check on your friends."

My lady bits tingled while I watched him walk away in those sweatpants . One day, I promised myself.

"And stop staring at my ass." He said without looking back.

How did he know?

I followed him.

"Because you have a dirty mind like me." He glanced at me. "By the way, I highly recommend you call me daddy from now on." He grinned.

I deadpanned. "Not happening."

I think I Jake that once and didn't like it, but when I called Seth that I liked it a lot. I shuddered. Gross.

We walked down the stairs.

"Don't tell me Sex Offender Branson made you call him that in bed?" He whispered.

"I'm regretting a lot of decisions now. I knew I had daddy issue, but damn." I hadn't thought of it like that before. Aside from Seth being hot af, did I only have a sexual relationship with me because of my daddy issues? Well, I didn't have them anymore, but a few months ago I really did. Seth wasn't that old, but he was closer to daddy's age than mine.

I shuddered again. "I can't ever call you daddy. Not going to happen."

He shrugged. "I can call you mommy. And insert mommy issues."

"We're really fucked up, huh?"

He nodded. "At least, we're fucked up together. As friends."

I nodded.

The living room was empty when we got there.

I looked to him. "Where are my friends?"

He headed towards the kitchen. "I helped Kieran to one of the many rooms down here. Emma and Eli were with him the last I know of. I have no idea where Audrey and No-" He paused and turned around to face me with a caught look on his face.

"What?" I walked towards him. I peered over his shoulder to find Noah kissing Audrey. "Oh my God! Eww."

They pulled apart.

Audrey looked shocked herself to see Noah in front of her, then she turned to us with wild eyes. "This isn't what it looks like."

Noah freaked out. "Oh, shit." He high tailed it to anywhere but here.

"Noah," Audrey called after him but remained where she was.

I stared at her for a few moments as I tried to register what I just saw.

"I guess, I was right," Stavo whispered to me. "He does like her."

Audrey looked to him. "What did you say?"

"Nothing."

She walked towards us. "No, you said something. What was it?"

I loved Audrey, but she was like a pitbull half the time and she didn't even know it.

I stepped between them because he honestly looked scared. "Calm down for a sec, you're scaring my friend."

She sighed. "Sorry. Stavo, what did you say?" She said more calmly.

"If you don't it will you kill me?"

She nodded. "Probably."

I gave a forced laugh. "There will be no killing Stavo of any kind." I propped my hands on my hips.

"Oh, bite me." She directed at me, then turned to Stavo. "Spit it out."

Obviously, she was still a little dopey off the Ayahuasca, so I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt, but like I said Audrey was a pit bull.

"He likes you, okay," Stavo said.

She stilled. "That's not possible."

"Audrey, you were just kissing. How do you not know he likes you?" He asked in disbelief. "Are you so scared that your friendship will change if you admit you might have feelings for him?"

I looked at him confusion.

Why the sudden blow up at Audrey?

"Because he doesn't." She glared at him. "That kiss was nothing. I thought it was somebody else." She pushed past us. "Dick."

He tried to go after her to apologize, but my hand stopped on his chest.

"I'll go check on her."

He nodded. "Just tell her I'm sorry. I don't know why I went off like that."

"Was that about us?" I rubbed the back of my neck. "I mean, do you think I doubt your feelings for me or something?"

He looked bewildered like the thought hadn't crossed his mind. "I'm going to go talk to Noah." He ignored my question completely and went off after Noah.

Okay. Mark me down for curious.

I found Audrey sitting on the stairs. "Hey," I sat beside her. "What's going on with you?"

She shrugged. "Nothing. Stavo just needs to learn to keep his big mouth shut. He doesn't know anything about me and Noah."

"I think it's Noah and I," I pointed out. "I think. Don't quote me on that."

She gave me a look. "It's 'Noah and me'."

"Sorry. Go on then. Vent."

She leaned her head onto my shoulder. "I thought I was kissing Rachel. That's what I hallucinated. If I had known it was actually Noah I wouldn't have done it. Cuz gross, he's like my brother."

I rubbed her arm. "Okay, but that's how you feel. Are you sure that's how Noah feels?"

Her head shook. "It's Noah. He couldn't possibly have feelings for me."

"Honey," I chuckled. "I'm sorry to say, but when two people kiss it means they like each other. It may not have been that on your part, but why did he kiss back?"

"How the hell should I know? Maybe he was thinking of Riley or even Zoe. I just happened to be nearby."

Well, the fact that Stavo and I have kind of talked about it before made me question if that was the case. It wasn't my place to tell her Noah definitely had feelings for her because I didn't know, but I had a pretty good feeling he did.

"He watches you a lot," I muttered.

She pulled away to look at me. "What?"

"Noah watches you a lot." I looked at her. "Just something I've noticed lately. It doesn't mean anything, but I find myself watching Stavo a lot and that means something."

Her forehead creased. Worry crossed her face.

"Why haven't you considered it before now?"

"It's Noah." She said like it was obvious.

I gave her a look. "Exactly. You two have been friends since like middle school and you're never apart. I think that you need to be practical here and accept that whatever just happened might change your friendship forever, but it doesn't have to be a bad thing."

She shook her head. "No, I won't accept that. I'm not ready for anything to change. Now is a bad time for change. Change is dangerous. And tell your boyfriend to chill out. He doesn't know me well enough to flip out on me yet."

I chuckled. "He says he's sorry. Yeah, I don't know what that was about either. I think in a strange way he cares about you. Also, he really likes Noah. I think he got a little defensive."

"Or it wasn't about me at all. Maybe it was about you two. Ever think of that?"

I huffed. "Well, I asked him and he just walked away, so I guess we're not talking about it."

She gave a half grin. "He stares at you a lot, too."

"He does?"

She nodded. "At first, I found it creepy. I didn't want to trust him and I still don't, but I have to admit that he's been there for you in a way we couldn't be."

"Audrey," I sagged.

She held her hand up. "No, it's fine. I get it. Sometimes it takes a person that's not someone you share everything with. And he's not so bad to look at it."

"You noticed that, too. Huh?" I grinned cheekily.

"How could you not?"

We laughed to ourselves.

"Do you think we need to talk to Emma again?" She asked. "Maybe you should apologize?"

Crap. I forgot that I was a mega bitch to her earlier.

"I should definitely apologize, but I don't think she wants to talk about whatever's going on between them. We should just give her some breathing room. For now."

"So, what did you see?"

"Nothing that I can't figure out on my own."

She stood. "You should go check on them. I'll get some coffee started."

I started the search after I left her in the kitchen. "Guys," I called. "Where are you? This house is too big to play a guessing game with a killer on the loose."

Someone jumped out at me and I screamed.

Eli laughed so hard he fell to the floor.

Jake reappeared. "I like this kid, he's funny."

Why was he back all of a sudden?

"I thought you left!" I angrily whispered.

"No, I'm still here," Eli answered.

Jake flashed in front of me. "I'm never leaving you."

"Go away." I swatted at him, but only hit thin air.

Eli stood. "You're no fun, Brooke. And a little mean. I thought we were becoming friends."

I looked at him. "I'm not talking to you."

"Are you okay?" Audrey ran into the room a few moments before everyone else joined us.

I pointed at Eli. "He scared me. I'm fine."

"So everyone's alright?" Kieran asked.

There was a collective head nod.

Jake appeared behind Stavo. "What do you see in this guy, babe? He's like a knock off of me."

I gave him a look. "Go away."

Everyone looked behind Stavo.

"Are you still hallucinating?" Emma asked.

I shrugged. "I thought it stopped, then he just popped back up again."

No one asked who it was, but it wasn't hard to guess.

Jake surveyed Stavo. "You certainly have type, don't you?"

"Please, leave me alone," I begged him.

"She had like three shots." Noah pointed out. "Her side effects are bound to last a little longer than ours."

I looked to Stavo. "How long is this supposed to last?"

"Well...because you guys seem to be recovering so fast, I'd say there wasn't much in that Tequila." He didn't look comfortable.

"Stavo?"

He sighed. "It's different for everybody. It says different time frames on different sites, but it could last up to ten to twelve hours if the dosage was higher." He stepped forward. "But it doesn't seem like it'll last that long for you guys." He looked at everyone

"What about me?" I pointed to the corner. "I can still see Jake. How long is that going to last?"

He shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. It may not just be because you had a higher dosage. It might be because you still have to talk to him and your mind's holding onto that because you still have it in your system."

I huffed. "Great." My hands ran over my face. "So I'm stuck with seeing him until I figure things out?"

"Basically." He headed for the kitchen.

"We'll leave you to it, then." Emma ushered everyone out of the room.

I waited until I heard chatter in the living room to sit down. My eyes stayed on the floor.

"Are you really playing hard to get? It suits you." Jake said from nearby.

"Why are you still here?"

He sat on the arm of my chair. "Because you still want me here."

I scooted over as far as possible. "No, I don't. You're not real. You're not really him."

He leaned closer. "Does that matter? Stavo's not me, but you seem to like him a lot."

"So that's what this is about? You don't want me to like him?"

He shrugged. "You said it, not me. I'm just the mouthpiece to your subconscious, babe."

My eyes rolled. "Don't call me, babe. You don't get to call me 'babe'. Not anymore."

"But he can? How is that fair?"

"None of this is fair." I finally stared at him directly. "But life goes on and sometimes people are put in your path before tragedy strikes to help you get through it. He's a good friend and I don't deserve to feel ashamed of whatever I feel for him because you died."

He gave me an expectant look. "Then why do you?"

"Because it's easier to blame you than it is to admit how much I really feel for him."

It felt like an anvil had lifted off my chest.

Jake seemed sad but gave me a relieved look. "I just wanted you to admit that you were using me to hold you back. The truth is, we weren't meant to last. Stavo was coming either way. He knows how to make you believe in yourself in a way I never could."

My head shook and he flickered in and out. "No, don't say that," I told him. "You were important to me, too."

"I know. But he's in your life for a reason, babe. You need him and he needs you. You make each other better. You make each other grow in a way we never did."

"You grew up, Jake. I grew up, too."

He nodded. "Yeah, but we grew up separately. Not together."

"So what? Now everything is clear? I just forget about you and go to Stavo?"

His forehead creased. "Is that what you want to do?"

Was it? I couldn't totally forget about Jake if I tried just like I couldn't totally allow myself to be with Stavo right now. It just wasn't going to happen yet.

"No," I admitted. "But you already knew that."

He nodded. "So did you."

"Then why are you here?"

"Because you needed to face your inner demons." He grinned. "I know how it sounds."

A grin crept across my face. "It's all so after school special." I scratched at my eyebrow. "So what happens now? You just leave?"

"Is there anything else you want to talk about?"

"Yeah," I leaned forward. "Plenty, but it's not really you."

"Then this is goodbye." He stood.

I rose. "I guess so."

He gestured behind us to everyone talking. "He's not a bad guy. I like him for you."

"Really?"

He looked off in their direction. "He treats you right. Motivates you. Cooks for you."

I grinned. "Yeah, he does."

He looked back at me. "So why am I still here? You don't need me anymore."

Didn't I?

"But I don't want to let you go."

He nodded. "I know, but you have to. Sometimes you have to let go of things you're not ready to let go of. And sometimes you have to accept things you're not ready to accept. But you already know that." He gestured behind us. "He taught you that."

He taught me a lot of things.

"So this is goodbye then? I won't see you anymore."

He grinned. "Not unless you take more Ayahuasca and think of me."

There was always that, but I was sure I never wanted to feel this again. Even if it gave me closure.

"What do I do now?" I asked him.

"Go join your friends." He grinned as he faded out.

I stood there while I processed what just happened and got my thoughts together. Jake was projection of my subconscious. He told me everything I already knew but didn't want to hear. I just had to hear it from "Jake".

Another minute passed before I made my way to the living room. Everyone stopped chatting when I walked in.

"Are you still seeing Jake?" Audrey asked.

I shook my head. "No, he's gone. He told me some stuff I didn't want to hear, but I needed to hear it." I sat on the couch.

"I'll bring you some coffee." Stavo headed to the kitchen.

I looked around at everyone. "Are you guys okay?"

They nodded.

"We were talking about it and we think we should tell Stavo's dad about this," Noah said. "Sure, it won't look good for us, but better safe than sorry."

My brow rose. "What did Stavo say about it?"

"Go with whatever Brooke wants," Emma grinned.

Of course, I blushed. "Bite me." I mouthed to her.

Their chatter filled the room long enough for me to wonder what was taking Stavo so long when he offered me a bowl from behind the couch.

When I registered what it was I looked at him with hopeful eyes. "For me?"

He nodded with a grin.

I grabbed it and dug in.

"Is that oatmeal?" Kieran asked.

I nodded. "The best."

Noah reached for some, but I smacked his hand away. "Ow, damn."

"Mine," I said around a spoonful.

Emma laughed. "Someone likes oatmeal a lot."

"Or someone just likes Stavo a lot." Noah commented with a cough as he said, "Brooke."

Stavo laughed along with everyone else.

My eyes told Noah that he'd pay for that comment. Oh, he'd pay.

For another hour or so we found things to chat about, but people started falling asleep I went to turn off the lamps with a yawn. Stavo settled on the couch with me. He pulled the throw onto us as I snuggled into him. Extra toasty.

"Goodnight." He whispered. "Try not to dream about me,"

I grinned, but my eyes were so heavy. "I probably will," I whispered back.

His warmth lulled me into sleep, something I was eternally grateful for after the day I had.


	12. Unsteady

The song for this chapter is X Ambassadors - Unsteady

With great relief school was cancelled the next day. Partly because my dad agreed the student body needed to grieve properly and partly because the school was a crime scene. So we were all a package deal for the rest of the day.

After we did the whole parent check in thing we mosied on down to my garage. There was a collective head nod in appreciation.

"You put this together?" Kieran asked me.

I grinned cheekily. "All by myself."

Stavo coughed into his hand.

I waved my hand dismissively. "Oh yeah, he helped a little."

A few moments later my phone dinged.

Stavo: "You sit on a throne of lies." - Elf

I fought laughter as I pocketed my phone. "Audrey," I pointed to the bag. "Teach us how to hit this thing."

She sketched her arms. "Stavo, hold the bag." She instructed.

Warning bells went off in my head. I wasn't sure how Audrey felt exactly about Stavo. She told me she suspected him to be the killer, which was ridiculous. He'd been attacked as many times as I had. He was always with me for Pete's sake. But I think she was letting her guard down more with him around.

He looked wary as he held the bag in place. "If you're going to hit me, please don't hit my junk."

She gave him a half grin. "No promises."

My arms folded across my chest. "If you hit my dude friend then I'll have to devour you." I gave Audrey a promising grin.

Her brow rose in amusement. "Is that so?"

Kieran placed his hands on my shoulders and squeezed. "Audrey, be careful. I think she's serious." He chuckled.

"Did you call him your dude friend?" Noah asked in a playful tone. "Because that's cute." He gestured between Stavo and I. "Really guys, I am totally in support of whatever it is you two have going on. Serious-"

Emma clamped her hand over his mouth.

"Thank you." Stavo and I said simultaneously.

He winked at me.

I winked back.

He instantly blushed and looked away.

Kieran laughed, which was totally unKieran like. He was loosening up lately and I liked it. He leaned down and whispered into my ear, "If you're serious about this guy, then I'll talk to him in private. Get a read on him if you want?"

While I appreciated the gesture, I didn't need to know what kind of guy Stavo was. He showed me time and time again. He was there for me. That's all I needed to know.

I leaned up and whispered, "Not necessary, but thanks."

Audrey cleared her throat. "Alright, let's begin." She gave Stavo a questioning look. "You ready?"

He gave a tight nod. "Do your worst."

Don't do your worst! Don't you hurt a hair on his perfect tan head!

"Brooke, you look like you're about to pop a blood vessel." Eli commented.

Did I?

"I'm fine." I waved it off.

Audrey gave me a knowing look. "Relax. No one's going to hurt your Latino Ken doll. Promise."

I huffed. "Well, go ahead then."

She demonstrated what it looked like to just randomly hit the bag without precision, then how to properly punch. "This is a hook." She hooked right and left. She got low. "An uppercut. It's easier to demonstrate on a person." She looked to Stavo.

He stepped forward. "Make it a good one." He urged.

I moved for Audrey, but Kieran grabbed my shoulders.

"Okay, how about I stand in for Stavo so Audrey can keep her face?" He nodded at Stavo.

Audrey fake uppercut Kieran and demonstrated some more moves I hadn't heard of.

Stavo stood by me. "Didn't think you'd go all Muhammad Ali on Audrey for me." He propped his forearm on my shoulder. "It's kind of hot." He muttered. "Considering I'm your 'dude friend' now."

I looked up at him with a grin. "What else would I call you?"

He stared at me with careful eyes. "To be determined."

"Emma," Audrey called. "Feel like punching Kieran?"

His eyes widened. He looked at her and shook his head.

She snorted a laugh. She pointed her finger at her eyes, then at him. "No, not all." She put her fists in the air.

"Kieran, do you know how to block?"

His head tilted as he gave a cocky look. "Of cour-"

Emma punched him in the face. She looked shocked at first, but ecstatic when she realized what she down. "That was awesome."

I laughed. "That was awesome."

Eli nodded in appreciation. "Do me next."

Stavo turned to me and laughed.

Emma's giddiness disappeared. "What?" She gave a disbelieving half grin. "No."

Kieran rubbed his face. "No, he gets one, too."

She backed away. "Someone else can do that," She looked between them with disappointed eyes. "I have to go." She passed by me in a hurry.

Eli moved to go talk to her, but Kieran pulled him back and went after her. "Em!"

Awkwardness filled the air.

"Okay," I pursed my lips. "Noah," I looked at Audrey. "Feel like taking a punch?"

They barely looked at each other since last night's kiss.

He moved towards her. "Uh, sure."

Audrey stiffened and gave me a look.

Eli planted himself in front of us. "What's going on with them?" He whispered.

"Not too sure," Stavo said.

I quess he didn't want to put Noah's business out there like that, but I didn't have that problem at all.

"They kissed last night," I said into his ear. "It's a secret."

He looked impressed. "Way to go, Noah!"

Stavo draped his arm on his shoulder and placed a hand over his mouth. "Stop talking."

Audrey looked shy. "You know we don't have to do this today guys.

Noah stepped forward. "No, it's fine." He held the bag. "Go ahead."

She sighed, but proceeded to hit the bag until she broke out into a sweat. "Brooke," She turned to me as she caught her breath. "You want to give it a go?"

Honestly, my back and shoulders were extremely sore from yesterday's session, but I could step up to the plate if need be.

I stretched out my stiff back. "Sure." I stepped forward.

Noah stepped from behind the bag. He held his hand up for me to stop. He wore a tired mask, but not from holding the bag. "You want to keep going. You want to hit me, don't you?" He stared at her intently.

I backpedaled to where I was.

"What?" Audrey asked. "Why would I want to hit you?"

He shrugged. "Why not? You want to hate me, so go ahead."

Her mouth balled up. "I don't hate you."

He moved closer to her. "I think you do. You can hate me all you want because I love you, Audrey."

Anger filled her as she shoved him back. "Don't say that."

"Why, because you don't want to hear it? Well, it's true!" He reached for her, but she pulled away. "I'm in love with you."

Holy shit.

Stavo and I exchanged a worried look.

"Noah, stop," She held her hands up.

His head shook. "You need to hear it."

"No, I don't." She sidestepped him.

He grabbed her shoulder. "Why can't you admit this to yourself?" He demanded. "You knew. You've always known."

She turned around with a slap across his face. Tears brimmed in her eyes as her chin trembled. "That doesn't mean I want everything to change," She cried. "We were supposed to go on like nothing happened. We were supposed to be best friends!" Her hand went to her stomach. "And you ruined that." She fled from the garage.

I looked at how heartbroken Noah was as he stood in the floor with lost eyes before I ran after Audrey.

"Wait," I caught up to her.

She cried very uncharacteristically. Maybe Audrey cried all the time and I just didn't see it. Doubtful.

"I don't want to go back in there."

I stirred her towards my house. "That's fine. We'll go to my room. Just the two of us."

We made it up to my room. I pulled her to me and I rubbed her back.

"Let it out," I encouraged.

She sobbed into my chest. "He wasn't supposed to do that," She cried for a while longer. "He wasn't supposed to ruin our friendship." She looked up at me with puffy red rimmed blue eyes, which had to look better than my black and blue one. Concealer could only do so much. "He wasn't supposed to confess."

I stilled. "Wait, you knew about his feelings for you?"

She nodded and sat up. Her hands wiped at her face even though the tears kept coming.

"But last night you said you he couldn't possibly have feelings for you. Why did you lie?"

"Because I didn't want to be right!" She huffed. "Noah was right, I knew all this time and I just didn't want to admit it to myself. You said it yourself, we're always together. We're a duo, a pair, two peas in a pod. If we change things then it's over. No more Naudrey."

I turned my body to her. "Melodrama isn't your thing, it's mine." I playfully tapped her shoulder. "Come on, you know Noah wouldn't get all weird on you."

She pointed at the door. "Then explain what just happened? I've never seen him like that." She grabbed a pillow and buried her face in it. She let out a scream.

"Someone's angsty today." I grabbed a pillow and did the same.

"What are you guys doing?" Emma asked from the doorway.

I looked up at her. "Grab a pillow. Scream your problems away."

She shrugged, then jumped on the bed and followed suit.

"Do you feel better?"

Emma and Audrey looked up from their pillows and shook their heads. I held my arms open for a group hug, then tackled them. We did the whole boy trash talk for about an hour. Of course, when Emma say that Audrey was crying she started crying after we relayed what happened. Then I started crying because they were still crying.

Personally, I didn't have anything to contribute to their roasting. Stavo was damn near perfect. We were so open and put our feelings on the line so often that we knew exactly where we were at. Sure, it made for a mountain of sexual tension, but at least we knew we'd get there one day when the time was right. We were there for each other in the ways we needed because it was clear that we needed to be friends first. These girls...I didn't even think they know what they wanted from the boys.

I got comfortable across my bed.

Emma put her head in my lap with a sigh. "Confession time,"

Audrey put her head in Emma's lap. "Go ahead Two Timer."

I snorted a laugh.

Emma pinched my arm. "Don't judge me."

"We aren't judging you, swear." I assured.

She was quiet for a minute before she finally said, "I like Eli."

"No? Really?" Audrey asked sarcastically. "

I laughed. "We already knew that, Em. Tell us something we don't know."

Her hands went over her face. "He almost kissed me."

Audrey and I shot up. "What?" We said together. "When?"

"Last night. Kieran passed out for however long we were on that stuff. Eli and I were just talking and it was nice. Then he leaned in and I didn't move away until I heard someone coming our way. It was Stavo, thank God."

I grinned to myself.

Audrey grabbed her hand. "Em, were you going to let him kiss you if Stavo hadn't intervened?"

Her free hand rubbed her temples. "I don't know. You know, he's Kieran's cousin and I was trying to be nice. Kieran and I haven't exactly seen eye to eye lately, but I didn't set out to give Eli the wrong impression."

My face scrunched up in disbelief. "Ehh, at risk at you hating me," I started. "I've seen you two in action when it's just the two of you and weren't exactly warding him off."

Her hazel eyes glared betrayal at me.

"I'm sorry." I held my hands up in surrender. "But it's the truth."

She looked to Audrey for help.

"I can't help you out of this one. You two have been getting closer. It's obvious when we all hang out. Brooke doesn't see that because she's having her alone time with Stavo, but that's okay." Audrey teased.

"Yeah, that alone time is looking pretty good right about now." I muttered under my breath.

Emma nodded. "I need to tell Kieran, don't I?"

We nodded.

She sighed. "God, he's going to hate me. Especially after I just finished telling him I don't have feelings for Eli." She leaned into Audrey. "So what are you going to do about Noah?"

"Easy. We're going to pretend like none of this happened, the kiss or our fight."

Ouch.

"Come on, you can't do that." I thought of the look on Noah's face. "You can't hurt him anymore."

She let out an incredulous laugh. "Hurt him? He was the one that kissed me last night. If he hadn't brought it up I wouldn't have mentioned it."

"Exactly. And that's hurting him." I placed a hand on her leg supportively. "You heard what he said. He's in love with you, Audrey. You can't just pretend like that wasn't said. I won't let you."

"Wait," Emma looked at her. "You didn't tell me that part. Noah's in love with you?"

Her head shook. "No, he's not."

I groaned. "Yes, he is. Why do you think he kissed you?"

Emma gasped. "You didn't tell me that part either!" She smacked Audrey's boob.

Audrey glared at her. "Because we were doped up on Ayahuasca. It doesn't count."

"No, remember what Stavo said. Ayahuasca brings out your true nature, what's really buried inside. If Noah kissed you then he must've wanted to do it for a while. Maybe he didn't know it himself." Emma pointed out.

I nodded in agreement. "He knew. He just didn't want to lose his best friend." I gave Audrey a disappointed look.

She groaned. "Please, don't look at me like that. I didn't set out to hurt Noah, he's my best friend. I don't want to lose what we have because he has feelings for me. And I'm still figuring myself out." She talked passionately. "I don't know what I am. Am I bicurious? Bisexual? A lesbian who's attracted to guys? I don't know."

I didn't know what it felt like to question your sexuality that much, but it clearly was troubling Audrey. Somehow, I just assumed she had it all figured out. She was just so bold and strong. She didn't take crap from anybody. Seeing her like this was heartbreaking. For the first time since knowing Audrey I felt like she had no idea what to do next.

Emma hugged her. "I'll talk to Kieran if you talk to Noah. Deal?"

Audrey nodded. "Deal."

"All I have to say is if you both mess up our friend group I'll shun you and the boys will welcome me with open arms." I gave them both a daring look.

They hit me with their pillows. Repeatedly.

"Ow." I huffed. "At least, I know where I stand. You, Emma," I looked at her. "Need to take a break with Kieran." I pointed at Audrey. "You, Audrey, need to explore whatever you feel for Noah, even if it's just a sibling relationship for you."

They pointed their tongues at me.

"You're mean." Emma said.

"Not mean," I inspected my nails. "Brutally honest."

There was a knock at my window door, which made us all jump. A dark shadow filled the area, but the sheer curtain covered the person.

"It's me," Stavo said.

I jumped up and grabbed a pen from my desk. A pen? Really?

"How do I know it's really you?"

He sighed from the other side. "I got a hard on last night when you sat on my lap."

My eyes widened as I glanced back at the girls. They raised their eyebrows at me. I snatched the door open. "Overshare."

"You wanted personal." He took me in with concerned eyes. "What's wrong?" He looked back at the girls and waved.

I turned to see them wave back. My eyes rolled. "Just some boy trashing."

He nodded. "As to be expected. Am I safe?"

"To be determined." I gave him a half grin. I wiped at my face. "But I'm fine. I guess, crying by association is only a girl thing."

He grinned, then turned to Emma and Audrey. "Do you guys want me to pick you up anything from the store?"

"Can you bring me back a can of sense so I can throw it at Noah?" Audrey asked.

He tapped his chin. "You know, I heard they had a sale on that last week, but they're sold out now."

Emma giggled. "You're hot." She said quietly, but we all still heard.

He winked at her.

She flushed.

Audrey tsked. "Come on, Em. Don't fall for that Latino smolder." She gestured at Stavo.

He winked at her too.

She broke out into a grin and laughed with Emma.

Jealousy coursed through me and my fist punched his arm. "Don't flirt with my friends."

He rubbed his arm in amusement, then planted a hand in the doorway above my head as he moved closer. He lowered his head so that we were eye level.

"Jealousy's a good color on you, but I don't want them. I want you. Understood?"

I nodded, my mouth suddenly dry.

"Cool."

"Cool." I mentally fanned myself.

He pushed off the door and stepped backward. "I'm taking the guys to my house. Maybe we'll do some girl trashing."

The girls scoffed.

"You do that." I patted his firm chest. My eyes did an appreciation scan. And damn, if there wasn't a lot to appreciate.

He smirked. "You done checking me out or do you want me to stand here longer?"

I gave him a dismissive look. "I guess, you can leave."

He turned to leave, then turned back and pulled me closer to him for a hug. "Call me if you need anything."

I wrapped myself in his warmth. "Ok, don't die on the way home."

"No promises." He kissed my cheek as he pulled away. "Now you can talk about me."

"We're not going to talk about you." I dismissed the idea, but we totally were.

His brow arched, he turned his bedroom eyes on my friends. "Bye ladies."

They waved and smiled. Sell outs.

He snorted a laugh. "Later, Maddox." He left.

I locked my window door behind him and carefully turned back to what I knew were waiting faces. Damn if I wasn't right.

We screamed and jumped up and down in joy. I was actually surprised Audrey joined in, but I guess she was ready to think about anything other than Noah.

"Oh my God," Emma beamed.

"Wow." Audrey grinned.

I gushed. "I know!"

There was a knock on my window door again.

We stilled.

I peered through the curtains, then opened the door to find Stavo leaning in the doorway.

"I heard screaming." He smirked.

Embarrassment colored my face. "There was a spider."

Audrey like coolest chick she was immediately started stomping on my floor randomly to sell the spider bit. Emma jumped on the bed in fake fear, she looked up at us with clearly unfrightened eyes.

Stavo smiled down at me, his dimples on display. "Do you want me to kill this spider?"

Audrey stomped. "No, it's fine. I got it." She gave a laugh.

He nodded. "Alright, if the spider comes back let me know." He gave me a knowing look, then pushed off the doorframe and disappeared.

I locked the door again.

"You totally sold the show, Em." Audrey said.

Emma laughed. "I didn't know what to do. I didn't expect him to come back."

"Me either." I plopped on my bed.

"So," Emma poked at me. "Spill the juicy details because there's some."

Audrey nodded. "Yeah, tell us all your secrets. We have to live vicariously through you. That was some serious foreplay."

"Speak for yourself." Emma defended. "Kieran and I are plenty of hot."

Audrey and I shook our heads.

"No, sweetie," I patted her shoulder. "You're not."

She looked at Audrey for support.

"You and Kieran put me to sleep." She said in the nicest way she could. "But you're both really pretty together." She gave her a thumb's up.

She flopped back on the bed. "The saddest part is I know you're right."

We layed back with her.

"Enough about Emma," Audrey waved it off. "You and Stavo, shoot."

"Hey!" Emma looked offended.

Audrey covered her mouth.

I laughed. "I don't know. We're friends."

Emma smacked me in the boob as she moved from under Audrey's hand. "Wrong answer."

"Ow!" I hit her boob back. "You have got to stop doing that."

Audrey grinned. "I'd do it, but I'd worry you think I was hitting on you."

"Probably," I shrugged. I propped my head in my hand. "But we are just friends. For right now."

"That's all we get?" Emma asked. "I want to hear about this boner story."

Audrey laughed at her and she flushed. "Yeah, I kind of want to hear it, too."

I grinned. "I mean, there were a few."

Their eyes widened.

"At the hospital the day we were first attacked. I climbed onto his bed because he held my phone hostage and when I sat on his lap it happened." I could feel my body heating up from the memories. "Then last night when I was freaking out he pulled me on his lap and talked me off the edge...and it happened again."

Audrey pursed her lips, then asked, "How big was it?"

I paled. "Audrey!"

"What?" She laughed. "I want to know. He seems...you know."

"Hung?" Emma supplied with a grin.

"Yes."

We all laughed.

"Well, it's not like I've seen it - I've seen his ass, a nice ass, and his abs. Also very nice - but it felt very impressive. I think he has a tattoo, but I only noticed during my trip so it might not be real."

Emma looked to the side. "Kieran doesn't have a tattoo."

"Em, Kieran doesn't have a lot of things." Audrey jabbed.

Emma turned to her with defensive eyes. "What does that mean?"

"That he doesn't have tattoos or smolder. Maybe when he first moved here he had that whole mysterious bad thing going on, but not anymore. He's just an old man."

I loved Audrey, but she could be really tactless sometimes. Like me. So we were perfect friends.

"I second that." I added.

"You guys are mean."

My head shook. "Brutally honest, babe. You love us for it."

Her eyes rolled. "We'll see."

"Back to you," Audrey pointed at me. "What's the deal with that oatmeal thing? It smelled like plain old peaches n cream to me."

I nodded. "Yes, but he made it. That day we were attacked I went with him to his house obviously and before everything went all Michael Myers he made me breakfast. Well, oatmeal. It's kind of our thing." I beamed.

Well, a lot of things were our thing, but I couldn't tell them about those.

"So does this mean you're over Jake?" Audrey asked.

I sagged.

Emma smacked her shoulder.

"No, it's okay, Em." I sighed. "I don't know. During this past week that's what's been in the way of anything happening between us and now that Jake's gone I feel like I have to respect what we had. When I saw Jake last night he told me everything that I needed to hear. Truth be told, I don't know when the right time will be for us." I sat up and leaned toward them. "And Stavo is so understanding. He's literally been there every time something's gone wrong. He's been uplifting me and keeping me sane throughout everything. He's not pushing me to start anything, he's just being a really flirty friend"

"So he's perfect?" Emma concluded.

I nodded. "So perfect. It's kind of weird that we know that we'll end up together, but I can't think about anyone else like I do him. We've shared some really dark times together. Every single time he's picked me back up when I wanted to give up. It's silly, but I think he was supposed to come here for me." I made a sheepish face.

"No," Emma agreed. "I totally agree with that. That's how I feel about Kieran."

"And I get a big fat nothing." Audrey complained. "How is that fair?"

"If you try to steal him from me I'll kick your ass, Jensen." I gave her a look to let her know I meant business.

She nodded. "No one wants that." Sarcasm dripped from her voice.

Emma grinned. "I wouldn't test her on that. I think our Brooke is smitten."

"What?" My hands went to my chest. "I am not smitten. I've only known Stavo for like a week."

"So," She raised her brow. "Romeo and Juliet fell in love at first sight and wanted to get married right away."

Audrey gave her a look. "That's the worst possible comparison ever."

She nodded, then stilled. "Shit!" She shot up. "It's Kieran's birthday!"

"Oh, sweetie." I followed her down the stairs. "You can't tell him about this Eli love triangle on his birthday."

"Don't you think I know that?" She almost fell down the stairs, but Audrey caught her elbow. "How could I forget about his birthday? He probably hates me so much right now." She grabbed her things from the living room. "This is a disaster." She looked to us. "What do I do?"

I looked to Audrey.

She gestured toward the door. "Go to him now. Birthday sex. Lots of it."

Someone cleared their throat. My dad surfaced from the kitchen, a bagel in his hand.

We all reddened.

"Who's birthday is it?" He asked.

"Uh," Audrey stuttered. "It's Keiran's birthday."

He nodded. "Well, use protection."

"Daddy!" I complained.

He grinned. "What? You think I don't know what you kids do? I was your age once. Birthday sex has always been a thing." He gave her a fatherly look. "Seriously, Emma. Use protection."

She nodded, but couldn't meet his eyes. "Thanks for the advice, Mr. Maddox." She gave an awkward wave.

He went back into his office.

"Sorry about that." I apologized.

She waved it off. "It's fine. I'm going to get going. Audrey, you coming with?"

Audrey looked at me with careful eyes. "Do you want me to stay?"

"Thanks, but I need a little alone time. You know."

They nodded and held their arms open for a group hug.

"I'd say call us if you need anything, but it's obvious Stavo is waiting on a call." Audrey teased.

Emma laughed. "She makes a good point. Don't call us for anything."

I pulled away from them. "Seriously? What if I'm dying and I want to say my last goodbyes to you guys?"

Emma's amusement fell. "Don't joke like that."

"Yeah," Audrey nodded.

"If we all get our lives together we can go back to training." My arms propped on my hips. "Otherwise we're all going to die anyway."

They stared blankly at me.

"What?" I shrugged. "It's the truth. How do you expect any of us to survive again if we don't fight? I'm not saying we have to become Xena Warrior Princess, but a little self-defense could go a long way."

After we said our goodbyes I told my dad I was going to the garage and workout. He called up Officer Loomis to escort me there like I was a kid. I suppose it better than being attacked while I hooked right and left, but it was a little weird getting all sweaty with Loomis looming around.

As I took a water break I sat on the concrete floor. "Loomis, you got a life outside of me or what?"

He turned around from inspecting outside. "You talking to me, kid?"

"I'm not a kid." I took a swig of water. "So what is it?"

He took a few steps toward me with a stern look on his face. "What's this thing you got going on? Why are you trying to be my friend? Do you think I'm going to lower my guard and let you go do whatever you want?"

Taken aback, I gave a wry laugh. "I was trying to be nice." I was trying to be a better person.

"This might work for the fresh faced deputies, but I don't need you to be my friend. You're just a kid that I have to watch." His tone dismissive. "Nothing more nothing less." He turned his back to me and continued to be on watch.

Stunned, I sat there for a while. I didn't have any notions that Loomis and I were best buds, but I did think he was a little fond of me because I was a fighter. Maybe Stavo was wrong. Maybe I wasn't a fighter. Loomis still viewed me as the world did.

That angered me.

With renewed motivation, I stood and circled the bag. Even though every part of me was sore to beat hell I punched out the pain as much as I could until I slumped against the bag in need of oxygen. Drew was half right. This was still new to me, but I didn't feel half as crazy as I did a few days ago. Did I feel stronger? No, but I felt motivated to do better. To be better. And I knew I wouldn't be completely reformed over night. It gave me something to look forward to if I lived that long.

For the rest of the evening I fought the urge to text or call Stavo. Neediness didn't make for a healthy relationship of any kind. So I left my phone on my desk while I basically did a bored movie montage; you know, different funky hairdos, outfit changes, dancing around my room. The usual. I tried to make do by myself, I really did. I even started writing down some personal thoughts about these crazy times. That maybe made me feel better than I thought it would. So I grabbed the notebook I set aside for my dream journals and scribbled away.

That occupied me until I was aware I was hungry. I jogged down to the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge. When I didn't see anything I wanted I turned to the cupboard.

A smile took over my face as I saw the oatmeal packets beside our crackers. Stavo had to put them in there because my dad didn't buy oatmeal. He actually had a freakish aversion to it.

I watched the bowl go round and round in the microwave as I leaned against the island. This was going to be it for the rest of the evening. "Yup." I huffed. I checked my social media.

Emma sent me a snap of her and Kieran smiling earlier. At least, someone was happy.

I took a snap of me looking bored. I typed bored af, then sent it. The picture reminded me that I still had a blackened eye.

The microwave dinged. I mixed in the packet with excitement.

As soon as I put the oatmeal in my mouth I regretted it. Oh no. That was all wrong. I spit it back into the bowl, then placed it into the sink. So maybe I couldn't make oatmeal, maybe it was Stavo's touch after all. Those hands though.

I pushed off the sink and headed upstairs.

A sobbing caught my attention from my dad's office. "Is she at least okay?" A familiar voice asked.

"She's doing better than expected. Her friends have really been there for her. I don't know if she'd be so sociable without them." My father said.

Sniffling came from the woman. "Can I talk with her?"

"I don't think that's best," My dad urged.

"Please,"

I stilled in place when I recognized the voice. Fear caught me by the throat and I couldn't say anything.

They shuffled around, but I couldn't make myself move.

My dad saw me as he stepped outside his office. "There you are, honey,"

Mrs. Fitzgerald appeared behind my dad with her husband holding her for support. She held a wad of tissues in her hand. Her eyes were rimmed red with sadness.

Guilt washed over me. Was I the reason this mother didn't have her son in her life anymore? I shouldn't blame myself, I know, but why had Jake died? Was it only to get a rise out of me? Either way, I still had to look Mrs. Fitzgerald in the eye and pretend like I didn't want to break down along with her. Any progress I thought I made with healing from Jake's death went out the window as she stared at me with loving eyes.

"Brooke," She tried to smile, but it fell. She stepped forward with her hands ready for an embrace of some kind.

I stumbled back with panic in my chest. My head shook slightly.

"Honey," My dad started.

My eyes slid to Mr. Fitzgerald. He had a steal facade on that he was okay, but I knew this couldn't have been easy for him. Him and Jake had their issues, but they always did those father son bonding vacations that I was always jealous of.

"It's okay," She said. "I know you loved him, too."

I looked back at her with wide eyes. What could I say to her, to any of them to make this okay? Nothing. I couldn't say anything to make Mrs. Fitzgerald stop crying or take away the mask Mr. Fitzgerald put on.

So I stepped away from them until I ran for the front door. I couldn't be here right now. My dad still had my car keys, so it was either run the risk of being chased and killed or go to the officer on duty outside my house.

Loomis sat in his squad car.

I ran to the door as calmly as I could manage without freaking him out.

He jumped as I banged on the door. He unlocked it. "What are you doing?" Concern laced his voice.

I quickly slid into the car. "Take me to the Sheriff's house."

His brow rose expectantly. "I don't take order from you, kid."

A huff left me. I opened the door. "Then I'll walk there."

He grabbed my elbow to stop me. "Are you kidding me? Get back in the car." He demanded.

I gladly swung my legs back into the car and shut the door.

He sighed, then started the car. He spoke into his walkie. "Chief, we got a little blonde package coming your way." He glanced at me, then rolled his eyes. "I think it's for the boy."

Acosta laughed. "Of course, send her over."

"10-4," Loomis spoke, then pulled off. "Does your dad know you're leaving?"

I nodded.

His fingers drummed on the steering wheel.

This wasn't awkward at all. After his confession earlier I didn't much want to be in here with him, but it was the only sane option.

"So," He turned a corner. "You and Stavo,"

I cut my eye at him. "What of it?"

He glanced at me. "Do you like him? I don't really know you, but you two seem to know each other pretty well."

My lips pursed. "How is that any of your business?"

"It's not,"

"You said you didn't care. You're just here to babysit me, right?" My tone callous.

He nodded. "Right."

The rest of the ride was silent, which I was glad for. I didn't feel exactly warm and fuzzy right now, especially to Loomis. He hurt me earlier. I just sort of thought we had a buddy thing going on, at least an understanding, but we didn't have any of that. He was just my babysitter.

We pulled up to the Acosta house. A sliver of fear beaded in me. This wasn't the first time I've been back since the attack, but other time was under duress. We had to fake save Noah's dumbass. The time after that was see if Stavo and I would be okay after my fight with Hayley. My track record with this house wasn't stellar, so I wasn't siked about going in there, but that's where Stavo was.

I got out of the car with butterflies in my stomach.

"I'll walk you to the door." Loomis followed.

"How nice of you, Officer Loomis." I said in an obviously fake sweetness.

"Yeah, okay," He muttered.

Acosta answered the door in probably the most casual look I've ever seen on him. He wore jeans and a white t-shirt. He wasn't a bad looking guy. If he was any indication of what Stavo would look like at his age I'd be okay with that.

"Brooke," He greeted with a half smile as he gestured for me to come in. He shut the door behind him. "Everything okay?"

My head shook as I looked around the area cautiously. "Not really," I turned back to him. "Jake's parents were at my house..." My hand went to the back of my tense neck. "They wanted to talk and I couldn't do that right now."

He nodded. "So you came here?"

I gave him an expectant look. "Sheriff, I know you know what kind of friendship I have with your son. Is it really that big of a stretch that I'd come here in my time of need?"

He looked like he wanted to smile, but wouldn't let it shine through. "No, I suppose not. He's up in his room. I think he's doing his art, so knock before you go in. He gets really into it." He shook his head like he didn't understand.

That bothered me as I turned for the stairs, but I had to say this. "At the risk of overstepping my boundaries, you should be more invested in your son."

His forehead creased. "Excuse me?" His hands propped on his hips as a stern look crossed his face. It might intimidate a lot of people, but it didn't intimidate me.

"There's a reason Stavo doesn't think you like him, sir. You're busy, trust me I get it." I sighed. "But him thinking he doesn't amount to anything doesn't help anybody." I gave him a parting look as I made my way upstairs.

That sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach only worsened as I stood in the spot Stavo was stabbed. There was so much blood that I didn't want to see, so much death that could've happened here, but didn't. Did that mean we cheated death or that we were meant to survive?

I pushed forward down the hall. Rock music blared from the room. I knocked on the door.

"Come in!" He yelled.

I opened the door to find him drawing at his desk. "Hey,"

He looked over at me with surprise. "Hey," He turned to me. "What are you doing here?"

Taken aback, I said, "Can't I just come see a friend?"

He smirked. "Your dude friend?"

I shut the door behind me. "Yeah, you're my dude friend." I sat on his bed. It was way smaller than mine, but it was nice enough.

He watched me carefully. "I already know something's wrong." He pushed his art aside and wheeled his chair closer to the bed. "What's in that pretty little mind of yours?"

I waved it off. "I'm fine." I peeked over at his desk. "What's that?"

He blocked my line of vision. "You're really going to do that with me?"

"Do what?" I played dumb as I looked around the room.

"Do that girl thing when you say you're fine, but you're really not." His charcoal smudged hand grabbed mine. "What happened?" His cinnamon eyes gazed into mine.

My fingers entwined with his. "Jake's parents were at my house." I sighed. "Mrs. Fitzgerald wanted to have a full conversation with me and I wasn't up for that. Not yet."

He nodded. "Sorry."

I shrugged. "It's not like you killed Jake," I looked at our joined hands. Some of the charcoal smudge had rubbed on my pale skin. Strangely, I didn't mind it. "So I came to because that's what we do."

He looked like he was fighting off a smile. "Yeah, it is."

I looked around his room again. "How can you sleep in here?"

He grinned. "I'll try not to take offense to that, Ms. I live in a manson."

My hand smacked his chest. "That's not it," I smiled. "You're really talented, but these are kind of..."

"Creepy?" He supplied.

I nodded. "Yeah. Sorry."

"No, it's true." He stood. "That's the focus of my art. I want to send chills down people's spins when they look at it." He handed me a drawing from a pile of papers.

It was a closeup of an eye and in the reflection of the eye was a knife. Fear and pain radiated from the piece. Tragedy struck this person. It was oddly enduring.

"Whatever you're feeling right now is why my art is so important to me."

I looked up at him. "Why do you want people to feel like this?"

"Because it's powerful. Don't you think?" He looked as if he was worried I wouldn't accept this part of him.

"Yeah, I guess it is." I looked around his room again, trying to get into his mind. "You're really talented."

He went to his bathroom to wash his hands. "I'm okay."

"No, you're amazing." I got up and inspected what he was working on before I interrupted. "Don't sell yourself short, Stavo." I sat in his chair.

It wasn't some lone wolf or statement piece, but a smiling group of friends. His group of friends from Phoenix. Instead of what I thought should be happiness, I felt sadness. I didn't know if it was because I knew he missed his friends or if that's what his art demanded of me. Either way, I felt bad that he had to give up his life there to come here. Yeah, I was glad he was in my life now, but I wouldn't want to uproot my life for someplace else midway through the year.

He handed me a rag before he sat on the edge of the desk, his hand reached for the drawing. He looked at it for a few moments before he said, "I don't know what to do about them."

I wiped off my hand. "They're still not talking to you?"

"Not in the way I want."

My hand rested on his leg. "What do you want me to do? Cuz I'll go down to Phoenix myself and beat them up for answers."

He looked at me and let out a small laugh. His hand grabbed mine, he rubbed over the bandage. "As cute as that would be, I don't think there's anything you can do to help on this one." He gave an appreciative half grin.

No, I didn't accept that.

"Stavo?" His dad called from nearby.

He rose. "Coming!" He walked out of the door.

My fingers drummed on his desk as I waited.

There had to be something I could do. I mean, I didn't think sex was the answer. Sure, it would be fun, but not in this way. Sex didn't fix problems. It created them. At least, when two people weren't ready to have it.

My eyes fell on a shiny object on under more papers. His iPhone. Jackpot. I looked at the door, then grabbed it. It unlocked no problem. Who doesn't have a passcode on their phone these days? I glanced back at the door as I looked for Cage's number in his contacts, then quickly input into my phone.

A second after I stashed it back under the papers he appeared in the door, making me almost jump. "Do you want to get something to eat?" His jaw clenched.

I nodded. "Sure."

He grabbed his phone before we walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. He wouldn't look at his dad. There was obvious tension in the air. Did they have a fight or something?

I met the Sheriff's gaze as we headed out the side patio. He looked unsure about something that I couldn't pinpoint.

Stavo's motorcycle was parked on beside his dad's cop car. He threw a leg over and brought down his foot to roar the bike to life.

Seeing him do that wouldn't ever get tired. It was hot.

I slid on behind him, my arms wrapped around him tight. Before I could say anything he pulled out of the driveway with a silent purpose. He didn't want to talk right now. I could understand that.

Loomis followed behind us in his car.

After we got our order we sat down at a booth across from each other. He hadn't said much since we arrived, in fact, he hadn't looked at me much.

I took a swig of my vanilla coke. "Are you going to the guy thing and pretend like every rolls of your back or are you going to tell me what's on your mind?" I looked at him and took a bite of my burger.

He shrugged. "My dad." He met my eyes. "He thinks we're hanging out too much."

Worry trickled in me.

"He doesn't like me, does he?"

"No," His head shook. "It's not that. I think in a way, you remind him of Angie, too. And he's scared about all of that happening again."

I couldn't blame his dad for that. If I was a parent and my child went through what Stavo did I'd be wary of anything that could trigger him to relapse. Did that mean I was his trigger?

"Maybe, your dad's right. Maybe we do hang out too much." I cautiously met his eyes with a pit in my stomach.

His forehead creased. "Are you saying you want to take a break?"

My head shook. "No, of course not. But your dad has a point. What if something happens to me and you have a relapse?"

Despite the conversation he grinned. "Glad you think so highly of yourself."

I rolled my eyes. "Please, I know you care about me. I care about you, too. I just now see what your dad sees. I'm not good for you."

He let out a chipped laugh. "Brooke," He stole one of my fries even though he had his own. "You're definitely not good for me, but that doesn't mean you need to distance yourself to protect me. If something happens to you I'll be hurt either way." He gazed at me.

My heart fluttered. "Same."

He reached for another one of my fries, but I slapped his hand away. "You like to hit me a lot. I think that's a sign you're into bondage." He teased with a smirk.

"Yeah," I nodded. "I am." The look on his face made me laugh. "Seth and I did a lot of that." My smile fell away at my biggest mistake.

"Tell me about it."

Disbelief crossed my face. "Huh? You want to listen to our sexcapades?"

"No, I want to hear about your relationship with him. How did it start? Why did you like him?"

No one had asked me that. Not even my friends.

I shrugged. "I don't know."

He gave me a knowing look.

I sighed. "Fine," I focused on my cup, not particularly thrilled with this subject change. "I'd like to say that Mr. Branson took advantage of me or flirted with me in class, but that's not truth. It's what people want to believe, but that's what happened. I started it." I could see clearly in my mind the day I set out to seduce Branson. The short skirt I wore, the extra makeup. "He did try to dissuade me, but I kept trying. It's not like he could resist me forever."

"I know the feeling." He commented.

I grinned. "I was different back then."

"How?"

"I went after Branson because he was a challenge. An older man, someone who would try to resist me. It was fun for me to see him struggle." That thought disgusted me. I was a disgusting person. "Have you heard about the video of Audrey kissing rachel?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but no one really talks about it anymore."

"Yeah, because even they have the tact to make fun of the dead. Nina released that video, she was the first person Piper killed. I was there and I didn't do anything to stop it, I just went along with it because I wanted to be popular. I wanted to be liked. And if I stood up to Nina up to Nina then she would've made my life a living hell." I was so cowardice. "That was the kind of person I was."

"Brooke, no one starts out perfect. We all have to grow into ourselves. Some of us never even do that." He pointed out.

I caught sight of Loomis out of the corner of my eye. He was sitting in his cop car in the parking lot, watching over us. What he said earlier sprung to mind.

"You know, you told me that if I met you a year or two ago I wouldn't have liked you. Well, same." I looked back at him. "You wouldn't have liked me. I was a bitch. A mean girl. Snobby and entitled. And I used Jake's feelings for me against him a lot. I would've looked down on you."

He surveyed me. "I would've looked down on you, too. I'm not proud of who I was either. I judged people like you because you thought you were better."

I wanted to be upset, but how could I?

"And now?" I asked him.

"Now I'm sitting here talking to you," He broke out into a grin. "I'd like to think that we would be friends if none of this happened to either of us, but I don't think that's possible."

"You don't know that." I didn't like to think what my life would be like if we hadn't met.

He leaned forward. "Come on, Brooke. Look at you and look at me. We are extremely different, which is fine. But if I was still the same guy as I was before I met Angie you wouldn't have looked at me twice."

"Doubtful," I leaned forward. "Regardless of your aesthetically pleasing appearance, you're a nice guy. I don't think you could've been that different in Phoenix."

"Yeah, you'd like to think that," He strolled through his phone until he what he was looking for. He handed over his phone.

It was a picture of him. I recognized Cage and Nikki from the other photos. He had to be around fifteen in it because he was a scrawny little thing, but he was still cute. His hair stuck up in every direction. He wore a striped polo shirt and a goofy grin in a pair of glasses.

A laugh bubbled out of me. "What is that?"

"That," He pulled the phone back. "Was me before I met Angie." He didn't look offended, but amused. "Still think you'd want to be my friend then? I was what you would call a fashion faux pas."

I grinned. "Actually, that was a person faux pas. You were right, we probably wouldn't have been friends." My tone teasing. "We all had to go through puberty." My eyes raked over his body. "Some of us more than others." I said in admiration.

"Stop flirting with me for a second," He tried not to smile. "This is serious."

I arched a brow. "Don't act like it doesn't give you an ego boost."

"That's beside the point. I don't think you would've fit in with my friends either."

I propped an elbow on the table. "And why not?"

"They're a little edgy for your taste." He challenged.

"If they're so edgy then why were they friends with you, Mr. Squeaky Clean?" I finished off my fries before he could steal anymore.

He spread his arms along the back of the booth, drawing attention to his physique. "I lived next door to them, remember. We grew up together. Nikki and Cage wouldn't let me go without friends so they got me to hang out with theirs. That's when I started doing drugs, nothing serious. We'd go out to the desert and party, it was fun and harmless until it became really easy for me to drink a bottle of alcohol by myself and not have it be enough."

"Your friends were the ones who pushed you onto that stuff and then pulled away when you needed them because of it?" I didn't even try to hide my disappointment. "Some friends."

His hand raised in their defense. "They didn't push me to do anything. I wanted to loosen up, be something besides my school work, and they were there. I wasn't high on anyone's friend's list, so I jumped when they said jump. When I spiraled they helped me out at first, but then they refused to give me anything. I went other places for my drugs and alcohol. Had an awesome fake I.D."

"Didn't people know your dad was a cop?"

"You underestimate how big Phoenix is. Even then I could still get what I needed outside of Phoenix if I had to."

"Would I like it there?"

He grinned. "Of course. Maybe I'll take you when my dad catches this guy."

Excitement filled me. "Then I could meet all these important people. I could get some juicy details on you." Just because he had only relationship didn't mean he only had sex Angie. I'm assuming they had sex. Looking at this boy you could tell he wasn't a virgin.

"You have to stop doing that,"

I played innocent. "Doing what?"

He covered his exposed neck with his jacket. "You have no poker face at all. Everything you want I can see in your eyes."

My head tilted. "And what do you see?"

His jaw clenched. "Things that shouldn't be there."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Really?" His bedroom eyes came out to play. "Because your eyes are saying you want me to take you in the bathroom and do some unchaste things to you."

Ooh. That sounded spot on.

"But you won't because you're a good guy, which proves my point." I said as I tried to reign in the sexy. "We would still be friends. And if not then I'd probably make it happen anyway. I go after what I want."

He looked up at the ceiling. "Why are you doing this to me? Couldn't have given me like another week or so before trying to ruin me?"

I chuckled. "Would a week give you time to practice?"

He looked down at me with a raised brow. "With other girls or myself?"

"Better be by yourself." I gave him a pointed look. "But rest to sure if you do I know how to plot my revenge."

His head nodded. "I don't doubt it." He reached for my burger and took a bite.

"Is that going to be a thing now? You're going to eat my food now?"

"It's the only thing of yours I'm allowed to eat." He said like it wasn't a problem. His bedroom eyes were full in effect. I didn't have a problem imagining what he wanted to do to me.

My legs squeezed together under the table. Oh Lord. I flushed.

"See," He smirked. "It's not so easy when I turn the tables is it?"

"Point made," I reached for his burger and took the biggest bite I could. I choked on my food as I laughed from his angry glare. In an extremely gross fashion, the food fell from my mouth and onto the table.

He laughed hard. "Oh, God. That was sexy," His hand went to his stomach as he tried to contain his laughter. "Are you okay?"

I wiped a napkin over my mouth as embarrassment colored my face, but as I looked at him laughter bubbled out of me.

The few people in here looked our way in concern.

"Nothing like a food mishap to kill the mood," I pointed out. "Speaking of food. I tried to make your oatmeal earlier and it didn't come out right."

"Are you saying you can't make a simple bowl of oatmeal?" He teased.

My head shook. "No, I'm saying I can't make oatmeal like you can...and maybe I can't make oatmeal."

He held his hand over his heart. "I'm flattered. You just want me to make you food. I can do that only if we get married though."

Us married?

"Isn't it a little early to be thinking about marriage? I mean, shouldn't we at least go on our first date before you pop the question?" I reached for his soda and found he was drinking water. "Ew." I gave it back to him.

He grinned at me. "No, I think I could picture us arguing for the rest of our lives." He said jokingly. At least, I think he was joking.

I mean, at this point in time that was a hell of a jump. But not a terrible jump. I didn't like to fantasize too far into the future to avoid disappointment, but I couldn't help imagining us sitting here in this booth in the next twenty years. Wow. I could.

"How's the punching going for you?"

I blinked a few times, then said, "I like it." Excitement filled me. "I know I haven't been doing it long, but when I use it all of this becomes easier. When I'm punching it I have this power that I don't have any other time." I bit my lip, then smiled. "I think I'm going to stick with it even after your dad catches this guy."

He looked at me with awe in his eyes.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

He blinked a few times, then cleared his throat. "Sorry, I just-" He cleared his throat again. "I was thinking about drawing you."

I wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not because he liked to depict demented objects. Was I demented to him?

"Do you want to draw me like one of your French girls?"

He grinned. "Ha ha."

"Should I be offended?" I asked cautiously.

He looked at me with confused eyes. "Why would you think that? I care about my art."

"I mean," I played with my nails. "Your art is dark. Don't get me wrong, I like a lot. But if you draw me is that what you think of me? That I'm dark?"

"Yeah," He surveyed me. "I do think you're dark, but not in a messed up way. You're realistic. I like realistic. If I wanted perfect I'd go somewhere else." He took in my offended expression. "Okay, that didn't help my case." He rose with a sigh as he scooted next to me in the booth. He brought an arm around my shoulder. "I like you just the way you are." He looked down at me. "If you become some kick ass warrior woman I'll still like you the way you are. You're my girl," He grinned. "The best friend I have here. Friends accept friends for who they are. I don't want to change you, Brooke."

Despite the sweet things he just admitted I had to disagree. "But you push me in school and stuff. Is that you liking me the way I am?"

"No," He shook his head. "That's me knowing you don't like who you are. You're one of the most important people in my life here and I want you to be happy."

As I gazed up at him I realized still that no one believed in me as much as he did. No one besides my dad had taken time to look deeper into who I was or who I wanted to be. Stavo pushed me because he knew I could be more than what I was. He wanted me to be better for me, not for him. I know we had only known each other a short time and I didn't know everything there was to know about him, but I couldn't help my find him beautifully perfect for me in ways that Jake wasn't. With that said it didn't mean we had to be anything other than friends. At least for right now.

His eyes searched mine. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I just didn't think there was anyone like you out there for me."

"Same," He muttered.

We looked at each other for a few revealing moments before I laid my head on his shoulder. We talked in that booth until it was time to close the dining room. The ride back to his house was bittersweet. I wanted to stay on the bike and keep riding with my arms around him, but our night had to come to an end. Our attachment had to had some limitations. Sleeping in my bed was one thing, but sleeping in his was another. Besides, I didn't want to be in his creepy house longer than I had to be.

The bike crawled to a stop in his garage. His dad's car was gone. It had to be at least ten thirty, was he really back at work? Well, he did have a serial killer to catch. Our safety at the expense of Stavo's relationship with his father. I didn't like it.

He glanced over his shoulder at me. "You know you can let go now."

I nuzzled his back. "But you're so warm."

He chuckled, his hand rested on mine. "You're trying to kill me, aren't you?"

Oh.

I pulled away. "Did that really make you horny?" I asked in disbelief.

"Uh, yeah." He said like it was obvious. "A beautiful girl rubbing against me will do that, Brooke. Besides, I'm eighteen. Anything will make me horny."

I laughed as I got off the bike.

He swung his leg over and stood in front of me.

That's when I saw it.

My eyes widened. "Oh my God!" I laughed nervously.

His hands covered over his pants. "Don't look down there and laugh. That's like the number one rule," His face reddened.

I attempted to compose myself, but it wasn't working. "I'm sorry," My hand covered my mouth. "It's fine. It looks good. Big." I nodded while I gave him a thumbs up.

A car horn caught my attention. Loomis was ready to take me home. I couldn't blame him. We were at that McDonald's for hours talking about everything and nothing at all.

"You need to leave," Stavo ordered as he struggled to keep a straight face.

My hands raised in surrender as I turned from him. "Alright, try to keep it down when I'm gone." I laughed my way to the car.

That was my teasing material for the next few days. I was glad to know all I had to do to get him hard was be near him. I proved that point by seeing how many times I could get an erection out of him in one day. The answer: Five. No. Eight. Eight times in one day. That was a fun day for me. For him not so much. After everyone caught on I had to stop because I looked like the biggest tease to ever walk Lakewood.

In those few days I had successfully avoided talking to Jake's parents. There weren't too many dicks at school was callous enough to bring up our run in with killer or Ms. Lang's death. Not even Hayley. In fact, I think that my dad to demand that stay the hell from me. Principal Weathers liked me a lot more than Hayley. To be fair, I didn't think many liked Hayley because of her trying too hard attitude. At the same time, everyone acted like nothing happened and that angered me. They just went on like life was normal. Like we didn't live in Murderville.

Everyone welcomed Stavo even more when he practically got in a fight when said dicks were mouthing off about me bringing death to Lakewood. His dad wasn't happy about that one and there was only so much leniency that Principal Weathers would give us.

Within the group, everything was seemingly fine. I could tell Emma hadn't talked to Kieran about her feelings for Eli. Audrey and Noah were cordial, but they hadn't even looked at each other really. Not really. When I asked Stavo about it he simply said, "Bro code. My lips are sealed,"

Stavo and I were studying for our Psych test when my dad walked my mom through the front door. Or rather he was tutoring me. I couldn't believe we were still going on with Psych like Ms. Lang wasn't great at it and this substitute wasn't a bag of ass compared to her. I was glad she was home. We had spent enough time apart. We needed to be a family again. I needed my mom back, but I didn't have any delusions that we'd be the family we were once were. Or that my mom would be fixed so simply. If I wanted to move on with my life then forgiving her mistakes would have to be sooner rather than later. It was the adult thing to do.

When my dad asked Stavo to leave I objected with, "Why does he have to leave? It's not like he's going to air our dirty laundry around town."

"Brooke," He said sternly. "It's time for Stavo to leave. He's not family."

I stood and folded my arms across my chest. "He's my family."

The room grew silent and everyone's stares burned holes in my resolve.

"It's okay," Stavo rose. "I have to get home anyway." He gathered his things.

I wanted to stomp my foot and go 'Daddy!' but I had to grow out of that, too. So I tried to reign in the my disappointment as I stared at my mom. She didn't look like the fresh faced mother I once knew, but she didn't look like the crack fiend that was here a week ago. That made me happy enough to be okay with Stavo leaving.

He held a hand out to my dad. "Thanks for letting me come over as much as I do."

My dad shook his hand. "No, you're welcome anytime. We just need a family moment."

He nodded, then turned to my mom with a friendly smile. "Nice to meet you. My name's Gustavo Acosta. You can call me Stavo for short. Everyone does." He held a hand out for her to shake. When she didn't move to shake his hand he dropped it. "I'm the Sheriff's son."

She nodded, then walked towards the kitchen without another word.

My eyes widened as I stared after her in udder lost. I get that she probably didn't want anyone to see her in this state, but Stavo wasn't just anybody to me. And if she'd been here she'd know that.

My dad cleared his throat uncomfortably.

I looked at him expectantly. "Daddy,"

He held a hand up to calm me down, then turned to Stavo. "Nothing personal, son. Give her a few days, then she'll be back on her feet." He patted his back, then followed after my mom.

Stavo looked not only embarrassed, but disappointed.

"Um..." I moved closer toward him. "I don't know what to say." My eyes begged him to understand.

He pointed to the door. "I'm going to go." He turned his stiff back to me and started for the door.

I raced after him. My hand grabbed his side until I hugged him from behind. "I'm sorry about my mom."

"It's okay,"

"It's not okay," I argued.

He sighed, then faced me in my arms.

"I want my mom to like you,"

"And she will when she gets to know me." He put on a grin for my benefit because I know smiling was the last thing he wanted to do right now. "Don't worry about it." His hand caressed my cheek sweetly.

I leaned into to touch. "So you're not mad?"

His head shook. "No," He grinned for real this time. "In case you haven't noticed, I don't give up on what I want."

"So you want my mother, that's a little kinky." I joked quietly.

He laughed. "Well, someone's got to call me 'Daddy'." He teased back in a whisper. A shuffling in the kitchen distracted him, then he turned back to me. He dropped his hand. "So I'll see you tomorrow."

I gave a noncommittal shrug. "I don't think I'm going."

"You're going."

I pulled away. "You don't tell me what to do."

He gave me a look. "You have to go, Brooke. If you don't, then you'll-"

"I'll regret it the rest of my life," I finished for him because I already knew where this was heading. "I already saw his body. I don't need to see it again in a casket."

"I think you already know what I'm going to say to that," He squeezed my shoulder, then reached for the door. "I'll pick you up at ten. If you're not ready by then I'm dragging you there kicking and screaming."

My eyes rolled. "Fine, dad."

His eyes filled with excitement. "What was that?"

I shoved him out of the door. "I'm not calling you 'Daddy'," I fought off a grin.

His eyes accepted the challenge. "We'll see." He leaned down to peck my cheek. "No yoga pants tomorrow either."

I gave a fake smile. "Go home."

"Fine," He walked off, but I pulled him back for a hug.

"Don't die on your way home. Got it?"

He nuzzled my neck. "We'll see what happens."

"Don't get cute. You know what to do."

All of us had worked out a secret way for us to know if it was actually us we were texting. It was the best system to use because if the killer could sound like Noah from the hall then he could sound like anyone of us at any given time. All we had to do was the time we sent the text and a 'Haha' afterwards. Simple enough.

He nodded. "Yeah, I know what to do. You know Loomis will follow me home."

That made me feel better, but even Loomis didn't know when a serial killer would attack. Stavo wasn't promised a tomorrow in this time. Part of me repeatedly thought about drugging him and shipping him off back to Phoenix where he'd be safe. Sure, he'd be beyond pissed, but at least he'd be safe.

"Brooke," My dad called from inside the house.

Reluctantly, I pulled away and entered tomorrow. I walked to the kitchen to find my mom drinking a cup of coffee. She barely looked at me, so I had to understand why she wouldn't shake Stavo's hand. Still, it was hella rude.

"I'm glad you're back, mom." I leaned against the counter adjacent to her. "How are you feeling?"

She looked up at daddy, then back at her coffee. "Great," She so obviously lied.

I glanced at daddy and asked him with my eyes what was wrong.

He moved to my side. "Sweetheart, it turns out that your mother is very sick."

Worry sprouted in me as I looked at her. "Like Cancer?"

"No," He assured me. "Nothing like that. It's mental."

I looked up at him. "What?"

"I'm Bipolar and I have depression." My mom rushed out as she stared forward. "You don't have to talk about me like I'm not here." She snapped.

I froze into place, not even expecting her to freak out.

"Monica," My dad tried to calm her down. "Relax. We need to explain this to our daughter. She wants you to get better, remember?"

She glanced at me briefly then sighed. "I know. I'm sorry, honey. I just don't want you to have to see me like this." Her chin trembled. "I want to be your mother again, but I can't when I'm so messed up." She cried.

I went to hug her, but she moved out of the way. "I'm sorry. I'm not ready."

I nodded. "That's okay, mom. We can work our way up that." I gave an encouraging smile.

My dad helped her upstairs.

Well, this was shit. On top of everything else that was already going on my mom had to be a basket case. She even said she wanted to go back to how things were. How was she going to handle recovery, depression, and being bipolar at the same time? This wasn't fair.

I headed out to the garage to blow off some steam, not even bothering to change into workout gear. I did what I usually did to prepare get in the right head space, I thought of everything bad in my life and put it into my fist after I wrapped my hands and slid the boxing gloves on. My particular motivation tonight was the fact that tomorrow was Jake's funeral and my mom was helplessly screwed. And there wasn't anything I could do about either of those things. All I could do was punch out my frustrations to keep my cool.

There was a knock on the wall.

I turned to see my dad standing in the doorway.

"You mind if I have a go at that?" He asked unexpectedly.

Once I got over the initial shock, I nodded. I took off my gloves and handed them over.

When he started going at it I realized that none of this bounced off him like I thought it did. He was angry and sad just like I was, but he was the adult. He had to hold it together for me.

I handed him a bottle of coconut water from the mini fridge when he panted. "Do you feel better now?"

He looked at me, then took a big swallow up the drink. He gasped for air afterwards. "Yeah, I needed that."

The weight of our family issues surfaced as I looked at him, so I looked to the ground. "Daddy, she's not going to get better is she?"

"Why would you say that, sweetie? Of course, she's going to get better." He pulled me to him for a sweaty hug. "She has to be." Desperation filled his voice.

I rested my chin on his chest. "What are you going to do if she's not?"

Despite the apparent separation they were going through, I still believed my dad was in love with my mom. That was probably the saddest part about this whole situation because I had every reason to believe my mom didn't love him in that way anymore.

"This is a family effort. We have to try."

"What if she doesn't want to try after a while?"

He looked down at me with determined eyes. "We make her. We don't give him in this family."

I nodded, then pulled away. "We won't give up," I held the bag into place. "You up for another round?"

He looked happy that I included him in my private time. He brought his hands up to protect his face. "You're old man could use the exercise,"

I grinned. "Let's see what you got,"

We took turns beating the crap out the bag until it was time to retire for the night. After my shower I jumped into bed right away. I checked my phone to find a message from Stavo.

Stavolicious: 11:14pm Haha.

Stavolicious: Hope everything's okay with ur mom. Going to bed. And I was serious about the yoga pants.

I smiled to myself. He changed his name in my phone and every time I went to change it I couldn't bring myself to do it.

Me: 12:38am Haha

Me: My mom's fine. I'll wear yoga pants or nothing.

I locked my phone and got comfortable.

My phone buzzed.

Stavolicious: I'm fine with nothing. ;)

Me: I thought u were going to sleep?

Stavolicious: I can't fall asleep until u text me back. Corny...IK

I laughed.

Me: No, that was sweet. If it makes u feel better I can't fall asleep until IK ur ok 2. Clingy...IK

Stavolicious: U can cling 2 me all u want. I don't mind!

Me: Of course u don't.

Stavolicious: Be ready by 10. If ur still sleeping I'll jump on u. That's a promise.

Me: ;) Okay Daddy!

I just liked to mess with him.

Stavolicious: Don't mess with me this late at night, Brooke. And no one likes a tease, sweetie.

I begged to differ.

Me: I know you like it Daddy

Stavolicious: download attachment

It was a picture of him looking at the camera with narrowed eyes and a serious set to his structured jaw. He really needed a snapchat. I'd remedy that tomorrow.

Stavolicious: Don't start something u can't finish. It's not nice.

I took a pouty faced picture and sent it to him.

Me: I'm sorry.

Me: Daddy

Stavolicious: When I pick u up tomorrow we'll see who's joking. Goodnight temptress.

I rolled my eyes.

Me: Goodnight crybaby

Stavolicious: Go to bed.

Me: No, u go to bed.

Stavolicious: U go to bed. I can't go to bed unless u go to bed!

Me: Ur such a girl! I'm going to bed now. Don't jump on me if I'm not ready when u get here or u'll regret it. Been practicing my right hook. It's solid.

Stavolicious: That's hot.

Me: Go to bed.

Stavolicious: Fine.

A few minutes of silence passed where I actually almost drifted into sleep when my phone dinged again.

Stavolicious: R u really going to bed?

He was the clingiest cutest dude friend I had.

Me: Text me one more time and I'll send u a dick pic off the internet.

Stavolicous: :(

Me: Aww don't cry. I still love u :)

As soon as I sent it my heart froze. I tried to unsend it but he already received it. Crap!

Not even a few moments later my phone rung. His picture lit up my phone. Nerves took over my body. I'd just let it go to voicemail. Surely, I could've fallen asleep in those few seconds before he called me.

I sighed.

I couldn't do that to him.

"Hey," I tried to say as calmly as possible, but I was freaking out on the inside.

"So you love me, huh?" He asked. I could hear the smug grin in his voice.

I scoffed. "Don't take it the wrong way, honey. I love Noah, too. Like a brother. I love you like a brother."

He chuckled. "Uh huh. Whatever you say."

A grin played on my lips. "Don't be an ass about it or I'll take it back."

"If you take it back I'll cry." He teased.

I laughed. "Get ready to cry then."

"You don't have to freak out on me, Brooklyn."

"Okay, that was a joke. I knew I shouldn't have changed my name in your phone."

"No, I actually like it."

I scoffed again.

An awkward silence hung in the air even with us miles apart.

"Love you, too." He said into the phone like it was perfectly fine.

My heart stuttered in my chest.

"Don't get weird on me now."

I mean, I knew what he meant. He looked me in a friend way, like how I loved him. We were friends. Okay, we were more than friends. After everything we've been through together it would be weird if we didn't love each other.

"Oh, you know me," I closed my eyes. "I'm always up to get weird."

That didn't sound right.

He snorted a laugh. "If you say so,"

A feeling of relief filled me at our confessions. Sure, it was a bit awkward, but we both knew that's how we felt. Now I could sort of relax because I didn't have to stress about that milestone in our friendship anymore.

"Goodnight," I whispered.

"Goodnight," He whispered back.

I hung up the phone and tried my hardest to fall asleep so I could be ready for the funeral. Actually, there was no amount of rest that would prepare me for Jake's funeral, but I needed to go.

I drifted off to sleep with the hope of a cryless day ahead.

A heavy weight on my bed shook me awake. I jumped in fear only to realize it was Stavo stretched out next to me. In a suit. Holy Hell.

"Morning, sleepyhead." He winked.

I groaned. "You can't be this hot this early in the morning." I hit him with my pillow and rolled over.

"A-yes, I can. And B-you have to get up and get ready for Jake's funeral."

I made a noncommittal battlecry. "Leave me here to wallow."

"Sorry, can't do that. Get up."

My foot kicked at him. "No!" I pulled my pillow over my head.

"Brooklyn, don't be a baby about this."

I gave him the middle finger. "Eat a dick."

"What did you say to me?" He asked in amusement.

"You heard me."

He huffed, then decided flopping about on my bed would stir me out of bed, but he was wrong. "Just get up,"

"You can't make me," I pointed out. "If I go I'll have a nervous breakdown."

"I'm not going to lie, I had eggs this morning. So I will fart you out of bed if I have to and I won't be sorry about it."

I turned over and gave me a look. "Damn. You're savage." I peeled myself out of bed. "If you fart in my room you're banned for life." I threw over my shoulder as I walked into my walk-in closet.

"Stupid question," He leaned in the doorway. "But is your mom coming?"

I blew out a breath as I browsed through my black ensembles. "Doubtful. She's doing better though." I grabbed a dress I knew Jake liked on me, then turned to Stavo. "Sorry about last night."

He waved it off. "I'll be downstairs. Your dad said he wanted to talk to me about something."

Warning bells went off in my head. "Seriously?"

He backed out of the doorway. "Probably about our sex life."

I followed him with butterflies in my stomach. "We don't have a sex life."

"Yet," He teased on his way out of my room. "Planned parenthood is smart."

My eyes couldn't roll hard enough.

I took the quickest shower in my life and got dressed. My blow dryer was on high while I brushed my teeth. For about ten minutes I tried different hairstyles, didn't like any of them until I settled on a high bun with a side part, then curled my side bangs. My makeup was the easiest to do. A smokey eye and dark lip sufficed just fine.

I stared at my reflection for a few moments. Today would be the saddest day of my life, I knew that. Today was the last day Jake would be above ground. Today was the last day I'd ever seen him again. Imminent sadness washed over me, but I couldn't focus on it for too long or I'd break down and hole up in my room for the next week.

With a final sigh, I slipped on a pair of sensible black pumps. I grabbed my clutch and my phone before I left my room. I hesitate outside of the guestroom until I remembered my dad moved my mom to the guesthouse.

The sound of conversation reminded me that Stavo and my dad were talking downstairs as I descended the stairs. At the sight of him standing by my dad in that suit nerves flapped in my empty stomach.

They looked up at my entrance.

Stavo looked at me with awe in his brown eyes. I've worn dresses around him before, so I couldn't figure out why this one was different. It was a simple black dress appropriate for occasions such as this one.

"Wow, you look beautiful, sweetheart," My dad greeted.

I gave him an appreciative grin, then looked back at Stavo.

He nodded slightly, then swallowed the lump in his throat. "So beautiful." He instantly flushed.

A grin took over my face. "Thanks, you too."

My dad patted him on the back with a chuckle.

"You look handsome also, daddy." I grinned at him.

He nodded. "I know."

Cockiness ran in the family obviously.

My dad handed me my car keys. "You can drive for today only."

I waved it off. "Stavo said he'd take me."

My dad gave me a fatherly look. He didn't approve of me on the back of Stavo's motorcycle, but it was means of transportation without my car.

"I drive a bike, not a Range Rover," Stavo pointed out. "Not appropriate for a funeral."

He had a point.

I grabbed my keys. "Thanks, daddy."

We filed out of the front door.

I headed to the guesthouse to say goodbye to my mom when my dad said, "Sweetheart, she's resting."

"But I was just-"

He gave me a knowing look. I could only assume he had already talked with her this morning and she wasn't in the best of moods.

So I sucked it up and nodded. "I'll check on her later, then." I tried my best not to sound too broken up about it when really I just wanted my mom to hold me before I had to endure this service of sadness and grief.

Stavo and I slid into the Range Rover.

He looked at me. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I started the engine. "There's nothing to talk about," I waited for my dad to pull out, then trailed behind.

"Are you sure because that didn't look like nothing?"

Once we were on the road I shot him as genuine smile as I could manage. "Seriously, we're fine."

He let it go, but I could tell he didn't believe me.

"So what did my dad want to talk to you about?" I glanced at him.

"None of your beeswax,"

I cut my eyes at him. "You're really not going to tell me?"

"Not everything's about you, Brooke."

My lip sneered at him.

We rode the rest of the way to the church in silence.

Truth be told, I still wasn't ready to see or talk to Jake's parents, but it would be impossible and extremely rude to go through the whole service without going up to them. No matter how much I wanted to bail.

Stavo and I walked up to our friends as they were being ushered inside with the family.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Mrs. Fitzgerald said to Stavo. "You'll have to sit in the back with everyone else. The front is for friends and family only."

I faltered. "He's with us." I told her.

She gave me an understanding look. "There just isn't any more room in the front rows with everyone else already seated."

"It's fine," Stavo waved it off.

I turned back to him to disagree, but his eyes let me know that this was okay for him. Well, it wasn't okay with me. I needed every friend I could get right now.

We filed in the front rows and waited for the service to start. Cheerful songs were sung by a cheerful choir. A cheerful message was sermoned by a cheerful Pastor. It made me sick to my stomach.

I rose to my feet and scooted out of the aisle to the bathroom. I wasn't about to cry, but I needed a break. This was all too much. And so very wrong. They were up there lying, glossing over the dark truth.

One of the toilets flushed, surprising me.

Zoe walked out. "Hey,"

"Hey,"

She washed her hands. "How you holding up?"

I shrugged. "I haven't cried today, so that's progress."

After she dried her hands she reached into her purse and pulled out a pink flask. "You look like you need it more than me."

I sighed in relief. "Thank you so much," I chugged it back.

"Woah, Brooke," She tried to stop me.

I pulled away as I finished it. "You're the best, Zoe." I patted her on the shoulder, then headed back to my seat.

The service dragged on as I stared at Jake's casket. He was not even ten feet in front of me, but he wasn't there. Not really.

Emma and Audrey held my hands. It was all I could do to keep from crying multiple times, but I tried to remember the things about Jake that made me laugh.

A few friends and family gave small speeches about how great Jake was and no one addressed the real problem here. That Jake didn't just die, he was murdered!

When Mr. Fitzgerald asked if anyone else wanted to say something I shot up and headed for the pulpit on slightly wobbly legs. I took the microphone from him and cleared my throat. The sounds echoed throughout the entire church. I blinked a few times to clear my hazy visions.

I held the microphone up to my face. "Some of you probably know I was Jake's girlfriend. But I guess we all know what happened with that right?" I gave a sad laugh. "I...I miss him so much." "But I mean, Jake had a great sense of humor." I grinned as I gestured around us. "This all seems so appropriate because this funeral is a joke!" Anger brimmed over in me. "Congratulations, Lakewood. You are lying to yourselves! Lakewood is cursed!" I looked around at the crowd. "People die in this town! All the time." My chin trembled. "And we act like nothing happened. I almost died!" Mr. Fitzgerald tried to take the microphone away from me, but I moved away. "No, I'm not done," I looked back at everyone else. "And you know what I saw? Nothing!" I yelled at them. "No white light. Just big, black empty nothing." I cried. "And that's where Jake is right now!" I sniffled. "Instead of alive and with me. Where he belonged." I tried to reign in my emotions, but failed. "Unless we wake up and stop acting like this isn't Murderville we're all gonna end up like Jake. And we'll deserve it! But he didn't." My hand shook as I glared out at the rows of clueless people.

I dropped the microphone and dashed down the hall and out the church doors. My hand clutched at my stomach as I silently sobbed in the fresh air. This sucked!

Hands pulled me to a chest. I recognized Stavo's embrace instantly, his touch was always like fire. Even today of all days.

He rubbed my back without a 'It'll be alright' or a 'It's okay' because he knew neither of those were true. He let me pour out all of my emotions into his chest.

Eventually, my dad stalked out. "Brooke,"

I pulled away from Stavo's safe arms to face my father with a tear stricken face.

"Honey, what were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry, daddy. I had to. It was the truth." I couldn't meet his eyes. A gnawing realization hit me. "Jake would've liked that speech."

"Honey," He reached out to me with understanding eyes. "Let's get you home," He looked at Stavo.

"I got this, sir," Stavo grabbed onto my swaying form.

I looked to my dad with disbelief. "You're not coming home?"

He sighed. "You have something you had to say. And now I have something I have to say." He kissed my forehead. "I'll be home shortly. Officer Loomis will be at home when you get there. He'll be there all day."

Stavo directed me towards my car. He grabbed the keys from my clutch with a bit of difficulty before he figured out how to open it.

"How'd you get so drunk anyway?" He asked while he buckled me up.

"Bathroom break," Was all I could get out. My head spun and throbbed.

He shut my door, then walked around and jumped into the driver's seat. "As bad as it sounds, I'm almost glad this happened,"

I turned my head to look at him and regretted it. "Why?"

He started the car. "Because you were right. This town is cursed and no one wanted to get real for even today about what's really going on." He looked at me with a shade of pride. "You fed them the riot act."

Confusion crossed over my face. "How is that even when I do something completely terrible you still find a way to make it into an accomplishment?"

We pulled out onto the street.

"Because everything is an accomplishment. It may not seem like it right now, but you're growing up."

That was a laugh. I felt more like a kid than ever.

"On the other hand, that was incredibly stupid."

I looked at him with shock. "You're saying a bad thing about me? You love my spontaneity." Ooh, that was a big word to say while drunk.

"Yeah, but you should've seen Mrs. Fitzgerald's face. Poor woman."

Now I felt even worse.

"I'll send her a fruit basket." I muttered as I closed my eyes.

I was pretty sure I fell asleep because we were back at my house in no time. Well, it didn't take long to get anywhere in town. Also, my perception of anything was skewed right now.

Stavo sat me down at the island while did his food thing. He put a bottle of water in front of me and gave me a stern look, then warmed me up a cup of what my dad made this morning, then continued to fill the kitchen with delicious smelling foods. All the while, I had time to rethink what the hell I did as my brain began to clear.

My phone buzzed constantly in my clutch. I proceeded to turn off the sound on my phone. That particular drama I couldn't deal with right now.

Stavo placed a plate of food in front of me.

I looked at him with grateful eyes. "Thanks," I dug in.

"Do you want some more coffee?"

I nodded.

We ate in reflective silence. Obviously, I wasn't as over Jake as I thought I was. I mean, I was pretty sure Stavo knew that. The great thing about him was that he didn't bring 'us' up, he let me do it at my own pace. Our flirtation had cooled down a bit, besides my trying to make him hard. I kept wondering if one day he'd just snap and do something about it, but nope. He was there for me anyway I needed him to be. Normally, I'd feel guilty about these feelings, but not today. Today, by definition was the day I had to move on and put to rest whatever else I felt for Jake romantically. He was probably being put in the ground now. Sure, I should've been there for that, but there was no way I could watch that.

After he washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen he directed me upstairs toward my bed. I felt better, less drunky, but still woozy. I was grateful he was he here.

He took off my pumps and helped me into bed. When I pulled him toward me he said, "What are you doing?"

"Get in with me. Duh."

He shook his head. "Sorry, Brooklyn. Not right now." He pulled away.

My hand grabbed his in desperation. "Please, don't leave me."

His eyes turned sad. He nodded, but slid to the floor. He leaned against the bed, his eyes focused on me.

Suddenly, I was self conscious. "I probably look like a racoon right now, don't I?"

He nodded. "Only a little."

I curled on my side to look at him. "Sorry you had to take care of me again."

His thumb rubbed the back of my hand. "Don't be sorry. You had to get that out."

My eyes went to the picture of Jake and I on my bedside table.

He handed it to me. "I think you were right earlier. Jake would've loved that speech."

I let out a small laugh to cover up the fresh sadness that washed over me.

"Hey," Stavo squeezed my hand. "It's okay to cry."

My head shook. "No, I don't want to cry anymore. I'm all cried out." My eyes fluttered shut. "Another nap will do just fine."

"I'll be here when you wake up," He promised.

I dreamed of happier times. Sure, it was all a jumbled nonsensical mess, but I knew enough to know I was happy. I dreamed that Jake was still here, that my mom was back to normal, that Stavo had both parents and he wasn't so lonely.

But when I stirred awake I realized it was all a dream and our lives would never be like that. Except for Stavo. His dad could remarry and he could have a surrogate mother, which was better than the alternative.

I watched him sleep for a while. I've watched him sleep multiple times just because he was so beautiful. There was something about him that addicted me to him. With a clearer head now, I took in how handsome he really looked today in his suit. His stubble was visible today. I didn't really let myself focus on it earlier, not with more important things at hand, but now that I fucked everything up I could gawk at him like a creeper. I had half a mind to reach out and stroke his face.

"Now who's the creepy one?" He muttered sleepily.

I almost jumped, not expecting him to actually be awake.

He opened his eyes and stared at me.

"Still you," I joked.

He gave a half grin. "Your dad came to check on you while you were asleep. He's at the repass. And before you roll your eyes, you know there's certain things he has to do as the Mayor."

I nodded and regretted it. A headache sprouted. My free hand rubbed at my forehead.

"I'll get you an aspirin." He got up and went to the bathroom. A moment later he came back with a glass of a water and a pill.

I sat up in bed. "You're a peach," I threw back the pill and chugged the water gratefully.

He sat on the edge of my bed. "Do you feel better?"

"Yeah, thanks." I pulled my legs to my chest. "For everything."

"What else am I here for,"

I leaned my chin on my knees. "You're not supposed to be my babysitter."

He shrugged. "I don't mind. Friends take care of friends." He looked at me intensely before he said, "And friends don't keep secrets from friends...So what's going on with your mom that you don't want me to know about?"

I stared at him blankly. "Nothing, she's fine."

He gave me a look. "I know when you're lying, Brooke. Just tell me the truth."

My head shook. "We don't have to talk about it. It's fine."

"It's not fine," He pushed.

"You want to know the truth," I let go of my pretenses and told him, "She's sick. Depression and Bipolar disorder on top of her addiction issues. Are you happy now?" I blew up at him unfairly.

He looked at me with wide eyes, then said, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Stavo, how can I come to you with things like this when you don't have a mom?" My voice rose in irritation. "I feel bad," I pointed to myself. "Because I have a mom and you don't. How can I complain to you about whatever problems I have with her? I can't, because it makes me feel bad and I don't want to hurt you like that."

He stared at me with wide eyes. "That's what you're worried about?"

"Yes!" I complained. "I don't want to hurt you anymore than I already have,"

He scooted towards me on the bed. "What you talking about?"

"Us," I sighed. "I know we're friends for right now, but I see how much it affects you to see me like this over Jake. I know you want me to get the closure I need and whatever, but I know you also want to be with me. And I'm so obviously not ready for that." I admitted.

"Brooke, you're not hurting me by not being with me. That's not it at all. I just don't like seeing you upset. I've been where you are, I know what you're feeling right now. I think that hurts me more than anything. And you feeling like you can't talk to me about this stuff doesn't make me feel better. It makes me feel guilty because you feel like you can't confide in me."

"Because I love you, Stavo. And I don't want to see you hurting because of me."

He looked at me with unreadable eyes.

Even though only a few hours ago we had said the same thing it was different to hear it face to face, I supposed. And I looked like a fucking raccoon rat probably.

With him looking at me like that I had to avert my eyes. "Sorry," I apologized. When he didn't say anything, I looked up with wary eyes. "You're getting weird on me."

His jaw clenched, but he wasn't angry.

"Please, say something so I don't feel so uncomfortable right now."

He blew out a breath, his hand went up to rub his chin. "I don't know what to say."

On that note, I stood to my feet. "I'm going to shower. Maybe try to think of something to say while I'm in there." I gathered a pair of black cotton shorts and a oversized shirt that I didn't know where it came from, but I liked it enough to keep it.

I scrubbed my skin under the hot water for as long as I could before it became unbearable. The alcohol was seeping out of my pores and that was a gross smell by definition. I thought about sweating it out by going to the garage, but I knew I wouldn't last in there for a minute like this. There wasn't enough energy in me to blowdry my hair so I toweled it, brushed it until the tangles were finito, and french braided it. Brushing my teeth was in order.

When I came out of the bathroom Stavo was perched on my desk, he looked up at me with nervous eyes. "I got you something," He held something pink wrapped in his hands.

I sat at my desk with my legs folded in the chair. I ripped the paper off excitedly and turned the package over in my hands. There was a picture of a girl and guy doing martial arts and looking badass. It read Les Mills Combat on the front.

"A workout program?" I looked at him in amusement.

He made a sheepish face. "It's cheesy, I know." His hand rubbed at the back of his neck. "I figured if you get tired of your punching bag you could learn some new moves."

I stared at him with a new layer of appreciation. "You bought this for me?"

He nodded. "Yeah, if you don't like it then it's okay."

My head nodded. "No, I love it." I placed it on my desk, then rushed to wrap my arms around his neck. "Thank you."

"It's nothing." He said into my neck as he pulled me closer to him.

I faltered when I pulled away. Our mouths were so close to each other. Part of me expected him to lean the necessary distance down and capture my mouth with his, but he didn't. I kind of knew that if we were going to kiss again it had to be on my terms. My terms were...what were they? I couldn't focus on such things while he looked down at me like that, when he smelled so yummy, and looked so handsome.

In fact, I found myself inching up with a need to taste him. He meant so much to me and vice versa, so why couldn't I just indulge in a kiss or two?

Once my lips touched his hands gripped my waist, probably to keep me in place more than to keep the control I could already tell he didn't have. He leaned rigidly on my desk. My hands ran into his hair. Poor thing barely kissed me back. If I was kissing him then I wanted him to kiss me back like he meant it dammit. To illicit a reaction out of him, I tugged at his bottom lip with my teeth briefly, then pulled at his hair with a moan into his mouth. I gladly pressed my body against his erection.

His hands tightened around my hips. "Brooke," He breathed in between our kisses. "This isn't a good idea." He tried to push me away.

"Even if I call you daddy?" I said into his ear, then trailed my mouth down his neck as I rubbed against him, needing some relief myself.

He groaned. "You're killing me here."

A sense of satisfaction filled me, which in turn motivated me to keep going.

"We can't do this right now," He stuttered.

"Why not?" My hand moved down to his pants and rubbed at his hardon. "You want to. I can feel it."

He breathed out a shaky breath. "Because the timing..." His eyes went up to the ceiling. "It's not right."

My hands unbuckled his pants. "It doesn't have to be right for us to fuck."

His hands grabbed mine, he looked at with me with disbelief in his brown eyes. "I don't want to have meaningless sex with you, Brooke,"

"It's not meaningless," I protested.

"If we do it like this, today of all days, it won't mean anything." He moved from under me.

Seriously?

"Stavo, come on. I care about you. Why are making it sound like I just wanted to fuck you?"

Anger crossed his face. "Because that's what you said!" He sighed, grabbed his phone, then headed for my door. "You know, if that's all you think about us then I was wrong about you. About us." He looked at me with unreadable eyes. "I'm not down for a friends with benefits relationship with you, Brooke. Or you using me to physically get over Jake. But if that's what you want then maybe we shouldn't be friends anymore."

I stared at him in confusion. Words wouldn't form in my mouth like the last time I'd seen him this upset in the halls at school. I knew what to say to make the situation instantly reversible, but I couldn't get them out. So all I could do was stare at him.

He took that as his cue to leave. "See you later," He all but slammed the door behind him.

I stood in the middle of the floor for who knew how long, too shocked to do anything.

What did I just do?!

I ruined one of the best friendships in my life because I wanted to get handsy. Why didn't I just stop when he said stop? Shame filled me. He was really angry. And I didn't blame him. He must've thought the worst right now. But how could he say that I wanted to have sex with him to get over Jake? I would never do that. I liked him a lot.

But was he right? Was I desperate enough to jeopardize everything we had for a stupid orgasm? Okay, maybe I was.

My hand covered my mouth at that realization. I scrambled to my bed, lost for what to do. Going after him was out of the question right now. Maybe after he had time to cool off. Maybe when I knew what to say to him.

What could I do in the meantime? How could I fix this?

I wracked my brain for probably an hour before it came to me. I reached for my phone and pulled up a new message, I typed the contact I'd been thinking about for the past week.

Me: Hi...My name is Brooke Maddox. I'm a friend of Stavo's. I don't know if you know who I am, but I know that you're really important to Stavo. He really misses his friends from back home and I think it would be good for him if you could come to Lakewood. I know it's not my place to ask this and now couldn't be the worst timing, but I'm desperate to right a wrong between us.

As soon as I hit send I broke out into a nervous sweat. Did I just dig myself an even bigger grave with him? Would he even believe me when I told him I was sorry or that I didn't mean it?

When my phone dinged a few minutes later my heart jumped.

Cage: Hey. Of course IK who u r. Stavo talks about u all the time hehe. Yeah, coming up there was the plan, but he was dead set on us not coming up. Sorry for the bad choice of wording.

Cage: Does Stavo know ur talking to me?

Me: Not a clue. Could you please not tell him? We kind of had a fight earlier.

Cage: Keeping secrets from Stavo...I'm in! Do u think bringing me up there will make him forgive u?

Me: No. Not really. But I owe him something good after everything he's done for me. Are you in?

Cage: Totally...I need a few days to get everything in order. I'll see if the gang wants to come. Thanks for reaching out. Do u want me to talk to him for u?

Me: No! Thanks, but I need to fix this on my own.

Cage: Alright. I'll let u know when we can come up. Also, sorry to hear about ur friend. Stavo said u had to go to his funeral today.

What exactly had he told his friends about me, about us?

Me: I appreciate that. Yeah, it didn't go over well for me, but Stavo was there to make it better :)

Cage: That sounds like my bro. He's good that way. I have to go, but if I don't get back to u in a few days then don't be afraid to reach out.

Me: Ok thanks again.

Cage: Oh and Stavo sent me a picture of u...Ur really cute btw.

I made a face. Was he flirting with me? Seriously? If they were as close as Stavo lead me to believe then I had to assume Cage was just messing with me because if not that would be really fucked up.

Cage: ;)

I recalled how hunkalicious Cage looked in the photos Stavo showed, but this was gross on so many levels.

Me: Haha

What else could I say?

As I headed down to the guesthouse I had to wonder if I had made a mistake in inviting Cage without Stavo's consent, especially if Cage wanted to get flirty with me.

When I walked into the smaller house I called out to my mom with no answer.

"Mom?!"

I walked throughout the house, checked all the rooms to find the place empty. Worry set in. Did she just take off? Did my dad know she was gone?

My phone rung. An unknown number.

"Hello?" I said warily.

"Did you miss me, Brooke?" The killer asked.

I circled around the place. "Did you take my mom you freak?!"

"I don't know, why do we ask your boyfriend? Take a look at your phone."

Not even a second later my phone dinged. It was a live stream of Stavo with duct tape on his mouth, he backed away from the camera as he struggled. Then the camera moved to my mom. She cried, but didn't attempt to get free like Stavo obviously was.

My heart stopped in my chest. "Don't you hurt them or I swear to God!" I yelled into the phone.

"Only one of them needs to die and that's completely up to you, Brooke."

"Why are you doing to this to me? Haven't you taken enough away from me?"

The killer chuckled into my ear. "It's not enough to see you suffer, Brooke. I want to see you broken! By the end of tonight you will be."

This could not be happening. Today of all days.

Anger filled me. "If you hurt one hair on their heads I'll kill you! That's a promise you sick fuck!"

"Ahh, there we go," He sounded amused. "Off the hinges Brooke is who I want. Time to finish what Noah started. You have an hour. And if I see a red or blue light I'll gut them like cattle!" He hung up.

"No no no no no," I prayed as I ran for my car keys in the house.

This was bad. This was really fucking bad!

Rationally, if I went to that barn alone I'd die and we'd probably all die. So I ran as fast as I could down to the street, but couldn't find Loomis anywhere. He was supposed to be here, he was supposed to protect me.

An awful thought filled my head. What if Loomis was the killer? Anyone could be the killer, right? Why not Loomis? He had the perfect cover. His job was to protect me. No one would suspect a cop to be a serial killer.

I drove to Stavo's house in hopes his dad was there. This wasn't something I could take to the cops without risking the chance that the killer -Loomis?- would kill them.

By some miracle his dad answered the door.

"Brooke," He greeted. "Hey, Stavo's not home yet. I thought he was at your-" He took in my wild eyes and heaving breathing. "What happened?"

"The killer has him," I panicked. "And my mom."

He shoved out of the door as fast as lightning and headed for his cop car.

"No!" I ran after him. "If the killer sees any cops he says he'll kill them. We can't risk that, Sheriff." He looked ready to disagree, so I added, "People that we care about very much are in danger. We have to do what to do to save them. We take my car. Just the two of us."

His head shook. "That's not protocol. We need backup and armed men."

I stepped closer to him. "Screw protocol. We take my car. We don't have time to waste, Sheriff. Your son is danger. And if you involve your men I will go there by myself." I threatened because I knew he'd never let that happen.

He huffed. "Fine, let's go."

I tossed him my keys and we were down the road to Hell before we knew it.

A/N: So instead of having two or three smaller chapters a week I'm probably just going to do one big one once a week. This may change from time to time, it all depends on how tired I am and how busy I am. I'm about to start a second job so I don't know how much free time I'll have to write, but I'm going to try my best to update for yall. This story will not be forgotten, I promise! :)

P.S. I know there must be too many typos and grammatical errors in this chapter but I honestly could give a rat's ass right now.I'll get around to editing it one day haha. I've been writing this chapter in all my free time since Wednesday. Please leave a review so I feel appreciated HAHA Thanks for reading yall!

P.P.S. I don't know how many of yall have watched the Scream movies, but I highly recommend it because I allude to the movies some with character names. I absolutely love the original Scream killer reveal, it was fucking perf! I don't suggest looking up any Scream movie facts because it'll spoil the movies for sure, but just go ahead and watch the first one on or or if you have virus protection and an ad blocker. Disclaimer: I'm not responsible for any virus or malware that is downloaded onto your PC, desktop, or tablet. LOL be careful yall!


	13. I Grieve

The song for this chapter is Peter Gabriel - I Grieve (there's a part of this song that seems so out of place when you first hear it, but just go with it haha)

FLASHBACK (a few days ago):

I sat next to Maggie on her living room couch while we watched Netflix. We were currently into Gilmore Girls, mostly because Lorelai and Rory reminded me of us in a much tamer way. I was no Rory Gilmore.

Today, my mind was elsewhere besides the Dragonfly Inn.

Maggie paused her Smart TV and turned to me with her feet in the couch. "Tell me what's going on with you." She said in her motherly caring voice, which she like had always.

I shrugged. "A lot."

She resumed playing the TV with a focused interest.

Now the awkwardness hung in the air and I had to speak my mind.

I grabbed the remote and paused the TV with a huff. "Okay, fine. I've been avoiding the Fitzgerald's. Like going out of my way to not interact with them." I pouted. "I feel bad, but I just can't deal with them. I mean, does that make me a bad person, Maggie?"

She shook her head. "No," She grabbed my hand. "You're not a bad person, Brooke. You've been through a lot more than most people go through in a lifetime. You've lost so much. All of your friends have. I'm amazed that you are all still standing quite frankly." She gave me an encouraging smile. "What happened to Jake was horrible, but you won't feel like this forever. You're young and your life won't always be this cloaked in blood and heartache. I promise."

My head shook. I gave a rueful grin. "You can't promise that. Or that I'll live that long to find out."

"Come on, sweetie. You're going to make it. I'll make sure of it. You've got a lot ahead of you."

"Doesn't feel like it at times." I admitted. "Whenever I start to feel more in control I get knocked right back down again." My eyes found the TV. "My life feels like it's on pause and there's nothing I can do about it."

She pushed my hair behind my ear. "Well, the easiest way to move forward is to fight back. And I know you have that in you."

A tiny grin came to my face. "You know, Stavo always says the same thing to me."

"Good," She smiled. "He seems to be good for you and you for him."

My forehead creased. I waved that off. "I hardly contribute anything to our friendship. It's him that does all the work."

"Oh, I doubt that."

I tried to think of one thing that I had done to help Stavo in some way and nothing came to mind. That was something I'd have to work on. He deserved more from me.

"So you like him a lot?"

My eyes shifted to the side as I let out a single laugh. "Maybe. It's complicated."

She nodded. "Because of Jake?"

I nodded.

"Do you want to know how to make it uncomplicated?"

Fully invested, I leaned forward for her sage advice. "Totally."

She rose from the couch. "Follow me." She headed for the kitchen and started making the best hot chocolate ever while I leaned against the counter. "Tell me something good about Stavo."

It wasn't hard to conjure up a list of qualities.

"He's smart. Like AP smart. He's patient, I'll give him that."

"How so?" She watched me.

"When he's helping me with my homework he makes sure I understand it completely. No matter how long it takes." A hint of a grin played on my lips. "And with us. I can't say with a hundred percent certainty that if I didn't need time to mourn or move on from Jake that we would be together. But I can't see myself feeling this way about anybody else."

Her brow arched. "Already? You've barely known him two weeks."

I sighed and retucked my hair behind my ear. "That's the scariest part, Maggie. I know there's still a lot more that I need to know about him, but we've been through so much together in such a short amount of time. He's been there for everything, he's been uplifting me and keeping me sane." I didn't want to admit this to Maggie, but if anybody would understand it would be her. "That night at the school I wanted to give up. All of this suddenly wasn't worth it. Stavo was there to pull me back from the edge. He's been through a lot of this grief stuff already with Angie. He just knows what to say and do all the time. It's hard not to feel this way about him."

"He's handsome like his father." She teased.

I laughed. "There's that, too." I surveyed her red face. "Margaret Duval, do you have a crush on Sheriff Miguel Acosta?" My eyes narrowed in exciting suspicion.

"What?" She glanced at me before taking the mugs out of the microwave. "Miguel and I grew up together. We've been friends forever."

"So," I nudged her shoulder.

She laughed. "No. We're not talking about Miguel and I."

I leaned forward on my elbows and gazed at her. "So there's a Miguel and you? If I had known you were hot for Acosta I would've helped you with all that," I gestured to her outfit.

She looked down at her khaki pants and pink sweater. "What's wrong with what I have on?"

"You're like what, forty-five. It doesn't mean you have to dress like it."

She scoffed. "Forty-six actually. And I dress my age unlike some people." She gave a disapproving glance at my skirt and peplum top.

My eyes rolled. "Please, I could pass for twenty five. I have a modest yet fashionable style. Most of the time."

She stirred the chocolate powder into the mugs. "Even so, Miguel and I work together. I don't need a repeat of Sheriff Hudson. Thank you for being concerned about my love life though."

"Out of the two of us one of us has to be getting laid."

She shot me a motherly look.

I laughed.

"Back to you and Stavo," She handed me my designated beaker coffee mug. We'd had a lot of heart to hearts while I was drinking from this mug. "It sounds like you already know what makes him the right person for you. If he really is then all of this won't be as complicated as may think. Let it happen organically."

I sipped at the scalding hot drink and burnt my tongue.

She laughed. "Promise to keep me updated?" She held out her pinky.

My pinky hooked around hers. "I promise only if you get back out there. You're single, beautiful, and accomplished. There's no reason for you not to find love again. Even if it's not with Sheriff Acosta."

"Deal."

We headed back over to the couch.

"I just wish Emma was as forthcoming about her life as you are with me." She sighed. "I know I'm her mother, but I was her age once. I very much remember what it is to go through all of this."

I gave her an amused look. "Would you want to talk to your mother about your love life?"

"Good point."

We laughed and continued to watch Gilmore Girls until I had to leave. It wasn't that we were hiding our relationship from Emma, but that we only really had time to hang out when she was at work.

PRESENT:

For the first five minutes of the car ride we rode in silence. Anxiousness filled the air.

My leg bounced uncontrollably as I sent a silent prayer to God, not that I believed in a;; of that, but anything helped.

"This isn't your fault," Sheriff Acosta spoke.

I turned to him. "How do you know what I was thinking?"

He glanced at me. "It's my job to be able to tell what people are thinking. If you pay attention to people they'll tell what you want to know without even speaking."

Maybe that's where Stavo got his personal ability to read me like an open book from.

"You blaming yourself isn't a hard stretch, anyway. Brooke, it's not your fault that some lunatic puts on a mask and tries to target you."

I let out a doubtful breath. "But he didn't target me this time. He targeted your son. And my mom."

He nodded. "Effectively targeting you."

My hands went to my temples. "You were right. We do spend too much time together." Guilt flowed through me. "If we somehow make it out alive, then I'll stay away. That's a promise."

He sighed. "Did Stavo tell you that?"

I shrugged. "It's not hard to guess, Sheriff. You don't like me. I get it. I wouldn't like me either."

"Hey," He reached over, then pulled his hand away. "I don't not like you, Brooke. I'm just worried about what's best for my son."

"Because I remind you of Angie?"

He shot me a surprised look. "He told you about her?"

I nodded. "He tells me a lot of things."

"Like what?"

My arms folded across my chest as I gave him a pointed look. "Everything that happened in Phoenix."

"Doubtful."

My eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

"Look, Stavo has come a long way since after Angie died. I'll give him that. But there's still some things you don't know about him. Things that even he doesn't want to admit to himself. But I see you two together and it makes me hopeful as much as it worries me." He gestured around us. "This is your life, Brooke. No one blames you for this psycho doing what he does, but I worry that Stavo feeling the way he does about you will do something that puts his life in danger. For you."

Shame filled me. He was right. Stavo would completely do that. If it had only been my mom that was taken and I went to him for help he'd go with me with no questions asked. He did it with Noah. He went into the halls at the school. And again when the delivery guy pranked us. He'd put my life in front of his. That wasn't okay.

"You know I'm right." Acosta said. "And normally that wouldn't be a bad thing, but in this town it is."

I nodded. I had to do what needed to be done. To protect Stavo. And after all of this who's to say he even wanted to be my friend anymore.

Once we made it to the same old ass barn I full on panicked. It was becoming harder to breath. He wasn't going to be alive. I could feel it. How screwed up was it that I was more worried about Stavo than my mom? If anything happened to her I don't know what my dad would do.

Acosta handed me a gun from his ankle. "Do you know how to shoot?"

My head shook.

He took the safety off. "Don't shoot unless you're sure who you're shooting at. I'll have to teach you how to properly use it tomorrow." He took me in. "You're stronger than you think, Brooke. You can do this."

He reminded me of Stavo in some ways and that comforted me.

We got out of the car with a huff.

He motioned for me to get behind him as we neared the barn. We spotted them both as soon as we entered. They were tied to a piece of heavy machinery. They shouted at us with tape over their mouths.

"Oh my God," I said under my breath.

"Stavo," Acosta sighed in relief.

The barn doors slammed shut behind us.

I jumped, then turned to find us closed in. The killer was nowhere in sight. Acosta went to push the doors open, but they wouldn't budge.

"I think there's something shoved a against the doors." He pushed against them again only to have a knife stab him between one of the cracks. He groaned before he backed away.

Stavo struggled the most from behind us.

I grabbed his dad's arm. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "I'll be just fine." He searched around the barn. "We need to get them out of here,"

I headed towards them and stopped mid-stride. Who did I chose? My mom? Someone who's been there for me my whole life and needed the chance to right her wrongs. Or Stavo. Someone who's been there for me through my darkest times and had his whole life ahead of him.

Luckily, his dad pushed forward and went for his son. So I went for my mom.

She looked at me with wet eyes.

"It's going to be okay." I nodded. "You're going to be okay. We're going to get you out of here."

My hands pried at the ropes, but they were on there extremely tight. Her poor wrists had to be rubbed raw from trying to escape. A huff left me when I made no progress. I looked over to Acosta. He had a pocketknife against the the last of the ropes. Once the ropes fell I took in Stavo's bloody skinned up wrists. He clearly did his best to get out of here.

His dad ripped the tape off his mouth, then scooped him up in his arms. "Are you alright?"

He nodded. "Help Monica." He looked at my mom, then focused on me.

A lump formed in my throat. I didn't know what to say to him. Sorry for trying to seduce you so I wouldn't feel the loss of Jake? Sorry for getting you kidnapped and almost killed? Sorry I was sorry?

So I looked back at my mother while Acosta tore into her ropes with the pocketknife. The ropes finally fell away only to reveal red wrists. They weren't bloody and torn up from trying to escape. They were simply bruised from the tension on her wrists. She hadn't fought. She hadn't even tried. She just sat here.

Acosta noticed the same thing as me. He shot me a wary look.

I ignored that look as I yanked the tape from her mouth. "Did you even try?" I questioned.

She wouldn't look at me. Or speak.

Was she that far gone?

"Mom?" I demanded.

She didn't want to fight. She wanted to give up.

"You're a coward," I accused.

That hung in the air for a few seconds.

"Brooke," Stavo started.

"What?" I turned to him with disbelief in my eyes.

He couldn't say anything while he stared at me.

A sudden smell wafted in the air.

"What is that?" I asked.

"Smoke." Acosta answered. He looked at us. "We need to get out of here."

We rushed towards the door and pounded away until the doors broke out in flames. We jumped back with a collective gasp. The flames spread easily throughout the barn. The hay burned and filled the air with thick smoke.

Stavo and I peeped at each other nervously. Even if we couldn't physically say what we felt in this moment our eyes said it perfectly. Our eyes said I love you.

"There has to be another way out." Acosta ran for the back of the barn before the fire could reach there. He kicked and punched an opening through the wood. "Some help?"

As we pulled at the wood the flames quickly approached us. It was hard to see through the smoke as we coughed to clear our throats. Once the whole was big enough Acosta ushered us out.

"Go!" He shouted, then coughed.

I shoved my mom out first because I was afraid she'd stay behind. I quickly followed suit, then turned back to help Stavo out. He stumbled, but I caught him. He in turn helped his dad out as the flames licked his skin.

He groaned while Stavo frantically patted at his back.

I briefly watched as the barn went up in flames entirely, then turned my attention back to the boys. They looked behind me with wide eyes. Nervously, I turned around.

The killer stood a few feet away with my mom in his arms, a knife to her throat.

All the air left me.

"Hello, Brooke. Nice to see you again."

Warily, I stepped forward. "Please, don't hurt her."

He pressed the knife into her neck. "I'm not going to hurt her. I'm going to kill her."

Before I knew what I was doing I whipped the gun out from behind my jeans with shaky hands and aimed it at him.

He paused as if he didn't expect it.

"Brooke, don't." Acosta advised. "You don't know how to shoot. You could hit your mom by accident."

My hands gripped at the gun tighter as my courage wavered. I looked to my mom and registered her nonplused attitude. Did she even care that he had her wrapped in his psychotic arms?

He chuckled. "You better make sure you're one good shot or I'll slice her throat ear to ear."

I took a step forward and did my best to narrow down my aim while I squinted one eye and held the gun in place.

"Brooke," Stavo spoke up. "You don't want to do this. You don't want to kill a man."

I watched the killer while he wrapped his arms tighter around my mom.

"And why not? He deserves it! He killed Jake!" I moved closer to them and squeezed the trigger.

He jumped out of the way.

The sound ricocheted through the air. My heart stopped. My hopes ran high, but to no avail. I didn't hit him.

"That was your one shot," He lifted the knife in the air just as I shot a few more rounds.

He stumbled back and let go off my mom. His hand clutched at his stomach while he ran away.

I rushed to my mom. She layed on the ground in shock. "Mom?" I inspected her. "Did he hurt you?"

"No," She sounded disappointed.

"Mom," I sighed. I tucked the gun away and helped her to her feet.

"Let's get her to the car." Acosta advised. He helped me pull her to the car. "I think you scared him off with the gun. He'll have to go to the hospital if he doesn't bleed out. We'll catch him tonight."

I slid into the back seat with my mom to keep an eye on her. "You're going to be alright." I smoothed her hair back. "I promise."

She turned toward the window, but not before I saw the tears forming in her eyes. Finally, she showed some emotion so I didn't think she was dead inside.

Acosta checked on all of us before he started my car forward.

Stavo looked back at me. His dark eyes silently ask if I was okay.

I nodded and silently asked if he was okay.

He nodded, then turned back around.

For a moment it seemed like we were off the hook until the car jerked forward. The killer stood in the middle of the dirt road with his knife held in the air. He stumbled to his knees, but waved the knife in the air.

I pulled open the door with intent to kill and yanked the gun from the back of my jeans.

"Brooke!" I heard Stavo and his dad say at the same time.

With the gun held in a position of power, I started forward. "Give me a reason not to kill you right now!"

The killer crawled backwards until he was on his feet. He shook his head while he mumbled something that was masked by something in the way. Panic rose from him.

Car doors slammed behind me.

"Put the gun down, Brooke." Acosta demanded.

"Why? He tried to kill me. He tried to kill my mom. He tried to kill your son!" My finger pressed down on the trigger with disgust.

He moved out of the way or rather I had bad aim. How I was able to get him earlier was a miracle.

"Brooklyn," Stavo said. "You don't want to kill a man. You don't want to have that on your conscience. Trust me."

I peered over my shoulder and met his eyes. "You think I don't know that! But he's got to pay for what he's done to us!" I turned back to the killer.

"Wait," Acosta moved forward. "That knife is duct taped to his hand. It may not be the killer."

The killer nodded heavily and made some more sounds of desperation. What were the odds? So did the killer randomly kidnap some poor innocent person to be the fall guy? How long did he think that would last?

"Police! Hands behind your back!" Acosta shouted.

The killer moved the knife taped hand behind his back and complied with laying face down on the ground.

Acosta unraveled the tape and handed the knife to Stavo. They stood him up abrasively and Stavo ripped off the mask.

A gasp left me as I registered Maggie with more duct tape across her mouth. Tears stained her face. She cried and shouted as she looked at me. My heart murmured in my chest.

"Maggie," I tried to go to her, but Stavo held me back. "What are you doing?" I looked to him. "It's Maggie."

"She could be the killer." He muttered.

My head shook. "No, you're wrong. She was tied up. You saw! The killer set this up." I breathed out heavily. "Look at her," I gestured to her. "She's scared. You have to know that she wouldn't do this." My eyes pleaded with his.

"I don't know her like you do," His eyes begged mine to understand.

Acosta handcuffed her. "Maggie, I'm sorry about this, but I have to." He read her the Miranda Rights. He whipped his cellphone out and called it in.

Stavo reached out in comfort, but I pulled away with disbelieving eyes. "Don't touch me."

It wasn't fair. None of this was fair. Our fight earlier. What brought on my attacking him sexually. Jake dying. My mom not giving a care if she survived or not. Or Maggie being framed.

All I could do was stare at her.

"He kidnapped me." She cried to me. "Brooke, you have to believe me."

I nodded. "I know. I'll tell Emma. She'll hear the truth from me." I turned back to see Stavo as he checked on my mom. Whatever he said got a reaction out of her, something I hadn't been able to do.

He glanced in my direction and paused. "Dad, behind you!"

We all turned around in time to see an object flying towards us. Acosta ducked down in time to avoid the sharp end of what appeared to be some tool in a wishbone shape.

My panic got the best of me and my finger slipped down on the trigger as the tool crashed into the windshield.

My mother screamed at the top of her lungs from the back seat.

I checked to see if she was hurt. When I saw Stavo helped her out I turned back to the trouble ahead.

Maggie had a stunned look on her face. She looked down at her stomach, then back up at me before she swayed. Blood trickled out of her mouth, then she fell to the ground.

All the air left me once I realized what I did. I shot her.

"Oh my God," I rushed forward and slid the distance to her, my hands grabbed her face. "Maggie,"

More blood pooled from her mouth as she tried to speak. "Brooke, it's okay."

"Maggie," I pleaded. Tears stung my eyes. "Hold on." I looked up at Acosta in shock.

He looked down at us, then grabbed his phone and barked orders into it. He tossed Stavo the keys to unlock her handcuffs while I pressed down on her gushing wound.

The life force was steadily leaving Maggie. This wasn't working.

She tried to grin through the pain, but failed. Tears leaked from her eyes. She held out her pinky for me.

I hooked mine around hers. "No, please don't go. I'm so sorry. It was an accident." I rushed out. My hand wiped the blood from her face only to be replaced by more blood. "Hang on a while. We're going to get you to a hospital." I looked back frantically for Stavo. "Help me,"

He rushed forward, shock in his eyes.

Maggie shook her head. "Emma..." She murmured through the blood. She let out a gasping wheeze. "Tell her...I love her." She inhaled a sharp breath.

My head shook. "No, you tell her. You have to fight. You're going to make it." I blinked through the tears. "Please. You're the only mother I have. I love you."

"It-it's okay," Her eyes lifted towards the stars. "I love you, too." She gasped a few more times, her eyes flitted back to mine before she just stopped. She stopped gasping. She stopping being in pain. She stopped living. She just stopped everything.

I let out a heartbreaking sob. "No!" I shook her. "Open your eyes."

"Brooke?" Acosta asked.

"No," I sighed. "Come on. Look at me." I held her face.

His dad kneeled down beside us, his face an apologetic mask. He said something to his son in Spanish with no response.

She couldn't be dead. She wasn't supposed to be involved in any of this.

"Maggie," I begged as I shook her. Eventually, I looked at Stavo.

He gave me a sorrowful look. "She's gone,"

My head shook. "No, she can't be. She can't be gone. She was just here!" It felt like my chest was being ripped open.

"Brooke," He sagged in defeat.

"I killed her." My chin trembled. Guilt weighed down heavily on me. "I shot her. I killed her!" I wrapped my arms around her as I cried. I stayed like that until sirens blared from nearby.

Acosta placed his hand on my shoulder. "They're going to be here any second. I'll tell them what happened. You don't have to worry."

That wasn't what I was worried about. That was the furthest thing from my mind right now. They could lock me for all I cared because I was guilty. I killed someone. I killed Maggie. How would anyone see past that when they looked at me? How would Emma forgive me?

My heart broke all over for the train crash of pain that I knew would hit Emma once she found out her mom was dead.

Stavo pulled me off of Maggie. "Come on," He pulled me harder once I put up a fight. "You have to let go." He whispered to me.

My head shook as I continued to crumble in on myself. "I can't."

"Yes, you can." He encouraged.

"I can't." I repeated through my sobs.

"Honey," My mom crouched down in front of us. "You have to let go." Her voice started out small, but her conviction heightened as she started to believe in herself. She opened her arms wide for me. "Let go."

Part of me couldn't believe that she actually broke out of her numb shell, but the other part shoved that aside as I rushed to her arms. I took comfort in her, something that I thought wouldn't happen in a long long time.

She wrapped her familiar motherly arms around me and rocked us side to side. "It's okay, sweetie."

"No," I clutched to her chest. "It's not okay. She's dead because of me."

She shushed me. "Don't blame yourself. None of this is your fault, you hear me?"

I nodded even though that was the furthest thing from the truth.

She helped me stand up, then wiped away my tears like she used to do.

We looked ahead at the flashing red and blue lights. In no time this place became a crime scene. Police officers swarmed the area along with paramedics and a few fire trucks. I didn't even want to think about the blow this would have on social media. Or to think that Emma would hear it from anybody besides me, but I couldn't make sense of any of this right now, much less form an apology.

When it came time to be interviewed my mom went with a female officer. Before she left she ushered me into Stavo's arms. I didn't have the will the complain about how I should've been an independently strong woman. All I wanted was human contact because even surrounded by all these people I never felt more alone. Even in Stavo's arms.

"You're going to get through this," He promised.

I propped my chin on his chest and looked up at him with heavy eyes. "How?" I croaked out.

He sighed. "With your mom and your friends. With me."

"What about earlier?"

He shook his head. "It's already forgotten." His eyes gazed down into mine.

Again, I was incredibly grateful to have him in my life. Especially right now. I'd need him after my friends shunned me.

We were dragged by the rescue squad to their ambulance. Ironically, it was the same guys from the first time we were attacked at Stavo's house.

The lady medic once again checked me over while the dude medic handled Stavo's wrists. The wasn't really anything wrong with my body, everything else was healing, so I was focused on Stavo's wrists. And I was a little worried about his dad's back. How badly had he been burned?

"He's going to be okay." Stavo said to me.

I looked to him to find him watching me. "Huh?"

"My dad. You're worried about him. He'll be fine." He assured as he reached his freshly bandaged wrist out to me.

I grabbed his hand. "Not just about his back, Stavo." I sighed. "Him and Maggie were close. She said they've been friends since they were our age. That has to hurt more than his back."

He nodded. "I didn't know that." He watched me some more, probably wondering the same thing I was; if we got to be their age would we turn out like them? Just friends. One of us dead.

I couldn't think like that. I wanted more for us. Yeah, a future like that was too far off to reasonably dream about this early in our friendship, but damn if I didn't want to be apart from him.

"Hopefully, we'll be married when we're their age." He threw in to make my face red. He chuckled when it did.

The lady medic smirked at us as she finished checking over my old scares. "Alright, Brooke. You seem to heal fast."

"That's what I keep telling her, Genine." Stavo added.

She nodded in approval at me. "Stavo's a great guy." She patted my knee. "Hold onto him."

I let out a nervous laugh. "We're not dating. Just friends." I knew that was the biggest lie I ever told.

He tore his hand away from mine.

I glanced at Stavo and laughed at his narrow eyed glare directed at me. My hand reached for his face. "Don't be like that. You know I love you."

His gaze softened, but he didn't say it back.

I wasn't sure why he wouldn't say it to my face when he said it over the phone so easily. Or maybe it wasn't easy for him. He had lost just as much as I had and allowing himself to love people probably was harder than I realized.

My hand cupped his cheek, my thumb ran over his beautiful face. We'd get there one day, I promised myself.

Genine ran her hand over my knuckles. "Are you doing a lot of punching? Your knuckles look pretty bruised." Her voice filled with concern.

"Yeah, I brought my hand to my lap. "I got a punching bag."

Her brow arched. "Post attack?"

I nodded.

"Does it help any?"

My shoulders shrugged. "I guess. I mean, I can hit it as much as I want to work through my frustrations, but it doesn't make the problem go away. The killer is still out there. And it's probably somebody we know." I glanced at Stavo.

"Brooke?" A familiar voice called.

I pulled away to see Loomis running towards the ambulance and quickly jumped out.

He stopped in front of us, slightly out of breath. "I'm so sorry about all-"

My hand slapped him across the face as hard as I could before I realized what a huge mistake that would've been. Even if Loomis wouldn't arrest me I still assaulted an officer in front an army of them.

Acosta along with a few others stared at us intently. He raised his hand to ward them off.

Loomis looked down at me with apologetic eyes. "I deserve that, but I never wanted this to hap-"

"Don't!" I all but shouted at him. "You were supposed to be there. You were supposed to protect me!" I pointed at him. "Stavo and my mother were kidnapped because you weren't there for me. I blame you!"

Stavo dragged me away before I could do anymore damage tonight. He guided me to a police car and slid in next to me.

"You have the biggest balls I've ever seen," He echoed what he said to me the last time we made it out alive of this place.

So much had changed between us from now and then. We were closer for sure. Only I had more blood on my hands.

I pulled my knees to my chest and twisted my body to face him with my head rested on the seat. "How am I going to face Emma?"

He rested a hand on one of my knees. "You don't have to do this alone."

When looking at him became too much I looked out through the windshield. My eyes stung with fresh tears. "I can't go on like this, Stavo." I sniffled. "I can't watch someone else I love die or I'll go insane."

His hand squeezed my knee. "Maybe you don't have to."

I looked to him with hope.

"You shot the killer like three times. There has to be some blood in the field. Some DNA somewhere. Maybe even on Maggie." He gave a wary look. "Sorry."

My hand rested on his on top of my knee. "Maybe he was wearing a bulletproof vest. No one can get shot that many times and still be standing."

His brow lifted as he thought of something. "Actually, in slashers the killer always has supernatural tendencies. They're quick. They only appear when they want to be seen. They're strong, able to take a really mean punch." He glanced at me. He reached his free hand up to wipe away my tears. "You're not alone." He nodded. "It may seem like it right now, but you're not. I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

"How can I believe that after earlier?" I felt shitty for bringing it up, but I still had my doubts.

He huffed. "Because I need you just as much as you need me."

We stared at each other for a while, taking comfort in each other's presence. So far our whole friendship had been coated in despair and it seemed like that's all it would ever be. I wanted more for us. We couldn't go two seconds without something bad happening.

After we said goodbye to our parents Deputy Dwayne drove us to the precinct. He was yummy. Why couldn't he have been my police babysitter?

Stavo noticed my staring and rolled his eyes.

"So Dwayne," I started. "How long have you known Loomis?"

He glanced at me through the mirror. "Are you going to slap me too if you don't like the answer?"

Stavo laughed.

I shot him a look, then turned back to Dwayne. "Where was he tonight? When all of this was going on?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Ms. Maddox. "But from what I can tell Bill cares about you."

My arms folded across my chest. "Yeah," I tilted my head. "How is that? Because he flat out told me he didn't care about me the other day. He said I was just something he had to babysit because he had to."

Dwayne chuckled. "Yeah, that sounds like Bill. When he gets invested in something he pulls away. You'll have to forgive him on that one." He said fondly.

No, I didn't.

"He's the only officer you could've slapped and gotten away with. Besides the Sheriff." He glanced at Stavo in the mirror. "For obvious reasons."

I didn't think that was true. There was no way Acosta would let me hit him and get away with it, even if I was close to his son.

My phone rung. I groaned as I pulled it out of my pocket.

Emma's smiling face lit up the screen.

Stavo took the phone from my hands and answered. "Emma,"

I shot him an appreciative look.

He sighed. "There was another attack. We're on our way to the station now, but something happened..."

How could he break it to a girl he barely knew that her mom was dead? That I killed her mom?

He glanced at me. "You need to get to the station as soon as you can." He nodded at something she said. "Brooke's okay. She's just a little shaken, but she'll be okay." He paused. "Well-that's not a good idea." He huffed. "Fine," He handed me the phone with a sheepish face.

I took it. "Hey," I stilled.

"Brooke, is everything okay? Stavo won't tell me what happened."

My eyes went out of the window.

How was I going to tell one of my best friends that her mom died? That I shot her mom?

"No," I tucked my hair behind my ear and sighed. "I did something bad, Em."

She paused on the side.

We were at the precinct for all but five seconds before Emma arrived with Eli in tow.

They rushed to our side with worried brows.

"Brooke, what happened?" Eli asked.

I gazed at Emma in utter lost. The words wouldn't come out of my mouth. She would never forgive me. I indirectly played into what the killer wanted. He wanted me to be broken by the end of the night and he got it.

They looked to Stavo for an answer, but he stayed silent.

"Is your dad here?" She asked him.

"No, he's still at the crime scene."

She looked back at me with narrowed eyes. "I'm going to go see my mom really quick." She started towards her mom's office. "Maybe you'll get your thoughts together by then."

Eli looked at me with understanding eyes. "Em,"

I took a step forward as she turned back to us with an expectant expression on her face. A face that looked so much like her mom's. "It's your mom," I reached out for her. "She's gone."

Her hand pushed her hair back out of her face. "What do you mean? She's at the crime scene?"

My eyes fogged up again. "No, not exactly."

Her body stiffened. "Brooke, then where is she?" Her voice rose.

"Em," Eli placed a hand on her shoulder. "I think what Brooke is trying to-"

"No," She shrugged him off. "I want to hear it from her." She watched me with fearful eyes. "What happened?" She demanded.

My hand wiped at my eyes. "She's dead. I'm so sorry, Emma." I rushed out.

Disbelief crossed over her face as she stumbled back. "Dead? How? When?!"

Eli grabbed her ahold of her, his face distraught.

"The killer. He had us. He had your mom. It was an accident."

Her composure fell, her hand went to her mouth as she cried out. "No," She leaned into Eli's chest. "You're joking, right? This is one big sick joke?" She gazed at me with hopeful eyes.

I shook my head. "I wish it were."

Her cries turned into full on sobs. She faced Eli completely while he rubbed her back.

Stavo placed his hand on the small of my back.

"Wh-what happened?" She asked.

My eyes found Stavo's in search of the perfect answer. I knew I had to tell her the truth, but did that have to be right now? She just found out her mom was dead. Was she ready to find out that I killed her? Was I ready for her to find out? Sadly, I wouldn't ever be and it would just haunt me until I got it off my chest.

"Em, I have to tell you something else. It was my fault."

She peeped at me through her tears. "How?"

When I tried to step back Stavo held me in place. I took in a breath for some bravery, but I didn't think it helped any.

"I shot her."

Her eyes narrowed, then she neared me. "How could you?"

My hands raised in front of me protectively. "It was an accident."

"What do you mean an accident?"

Eli pulled her back. "Em, you know Brooke would never do anything to hurt Maggie on purpose."

She surveyed me, but didn't say anything.

"I'm so sorry." I grabbed her hands. "It all happened so fast." My eyes begged hers to understand. "I loved Maggie like a mom. This was the last thing I wanted." My voice cracked. "You have to believe me. Please."

She yanked her hands away. "I need a minute." She high tailed it out of the front doors.

Eli wrapped me in for a hug. "So sorry. I'll talk to her."

I nodded as I hugged him back. "Thanks, Eli."

He pulled away to hug Stavo briefly. "Do you guys want me to tell everyone else?"

I blew out a heavy breath. "If you wouldn't mind. I don't think I can relive that reaction three more times."

He nodded, then ran after Emma.

Stavo stood in front of me. "That could've been worse."

"How?" My brow rose.

His shoulders shrugged. "She could've slapped you."

I cracked a tiny grin. "Well, I deserve a lot more than a slap."

"Don't say that. You're both in shock. Give her time to wrap her head around this. She'll forgive you."

I gestured to myself. "What about me? How long will it take for me to get my head around all this?"

He placed a strong hand on my shoulder and leaned down so we were eye level. "No one's going to fault you if you want to see a professional."

"What do you think I should do, Stavo?"

He huffed. "I think you need to think about what all of this is doing to you and if you think the long term affects will come back and bite you in the ass."

I nodded. "I just don't see myself opening up to a complete stranger."

"Then open up to your friends. To your family." He gave a small smile, his hand cupped my face. "And if they don't understand then open to me."

My heart fluttered. Maybe this wasn't the right time, but we had to talk about him rejecting my seduction earlier.

"All I seem to do is apologize lately, but I'm so sorry about earlier. You were right. I was using you to numb out the pain of Jake." My jaw clenched. "And I don't want you to think it wouldn't have meant anything because it would've." I nodded. "You believe that, right?"

He nodded slightly. "Yeah," He sighed. "I know...but-"

"But nothing." I interrupted. "It was impulsive and stupid, sure. The time was off. We both know we wanted to..." My face heated up. "It just wasn't the right time."

He fought a dimpled grin as he gazed at me.

"What are you smiling about?"

"I'm just glad we're on the same page. When we get there it's going to be special."

I knew I was the one to bring this up, but could this be the worst place to talk about this.

He seemed to read my mind and said, "We'll talk about this later."

Deputy Dwayne approached us. He looked at Stavo. "Your dad is on his way. He wants to handle everything." He looked to me. "And your dad is..." His eyes went above my head. "Walking this way."

"Brooke," My dad said.

I turned and dashed into his fatherly arms. "Daddy, I'm so sorry." I mumbled into his sternum.

He kissed the top of my head. "None of this is your fault, sweetheart. I talked to your mom."

I looked up at him. "Is she okay?"

He nodded. "She's at the hospital. She told me to make sure you were okay before coming to see her. She sounded better."

"Yeah, she sounded like she used to." I pulled away and look at my current Latino Ken Doll of sanity. "Daddy, it's because of Stavo."

Shock crossed his face. "What? I didn't do anything, sir. Monica stepped up for Brooke. Not because of anything I said." He assured my dad in that modest way of his.

My dad stepped forward. "Either way, thank you." He wrapped him in a hug. "I'm glad you're okay, son."

Stavo hugged him back tightly, he blinked a few times. "Me, too."

Awww. He was trying not to cry.

I really could've lost so much more tonight. Maggie was a travesty, but if I had lost my mom and Stavo I wouldn't be upright at the moment. Tonight could've gone a horribly different way. Sure this would always be the worst day of my life because I lost two of the most important people in my life, but I was still standing. And that was something to be proud of.

"Mayor Maddox," Dwayne interrupted. "May I speak with you in private?"

My dad pulled away from Stavo. He looked back at me. "I'll be just a minute." He followed Dwayne.

"Are you crying?" I teased.

Stavo rubbed at his eyes, his sleeve slid down and revealed his bandaged wrists. "Nah."

"There's something else." I neared him and whispered, "I think Loomis may have been the one behind the mask."

His forehead creased. "What? No. Loomis is a good guy. He's been protecting you. He's been protecting us."

I let out an incredulous laugh. "So where was he tonight? After I got the call from the killer I looked for Loomis, but he wasn't there. My dad said he was going to be there until the night shift. So why did he bail?"

"Come on, Loomis?" He questioned. "If an awol act is all we need to start pointing fingers then we should also point it at your dad." He looked like he regretted saying it all together, but I got his point.

We turned to look at my dad all but yelling at Dwayne.

Was my dad a suspect to the police? Sure, he wasn't at the house, but they had to know Jake's funeral was today. Half the town was there. That was his alibi. Unless he left early.

"But that's crazy." He muttered. "I'll talk to my dad when he gets here."

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," My dad complained. "I'm her father!"

Dwayne walked my dad behind closed doors.

The doors swung open. In walked Loomis handcuffed and being escorted by two officers. He struggled against them. "Guys, I didn't do this! You know me!" He caught sight of me and stared. "Brooke!"

Sheriff Acosta trailed behind. He noticed us and sagged. "They found the costume in his trunk."

"Dad?" Stavo tugged me along with him. "You know Loomis. The killer probably planted it there."

He held his hands in surrender. "Either way it's evidence. We can't just let him go."

"Wait," I grabbed his hand. "What about my dad?"

He looked down at me with rueful eyes. "Brooke, it's routine. We can't afford not to." He squeezed my hand. "I'm sorry." He moved away, but I tugged him back.

"What's going to happen to Maggie now? Who's going to take care of her body?"

He looked as if he hadn't even thought about that and his brown eyes saddened. "Emma has to identify her first, then we'll call another Coroner in."

I nodded.

"Maggie wouldn't have wanted you to blame yourself, Brooke." He said, then went after my dad.

The rest of the evening played like what we were getting so accustomed to; with lots of questions and check ups. Deputy Dwayne drove me and my mom home while my dad was still be tied up in the legal issues and paperwork. Once he was cleared and his alibi checked out he told me he had to go on the six o'clock news. All of our friends were there for us, but I couldn't deal with them right now. What I did was too heavy to be surrounded by people, even if I loved them. I didn't want to see their pitying stares and Emma's side glares. I knew she had a right to be upset, I would be too if she killed my mom. It's easy to say it was an accident so why is she upset, but accident or no I still had a hand in her only mother not being on this Earth anymore. Sure, she knew I would take it back in heartbeat, but that didn't make her pain any less prevalent or any less fleeting.

Very tired of all the chaos all I wanted to do was crawl in my bed. After my shower I found my mom sitting on my bed in her pj's. She still outwardly looked the same as any previous day I saw her, but there was an internal shift in her that peered through the blotchy skin and frale remnants of her druggie haze days.

She patted the spot beside her.

I gladly jumped into bed with her. I layed my head on her shoulder. "I'm sorry you got dragged into all of this, mom."

Her arm wrapped around me as her head layed on top of mine. "Oh, it's not your fault, sweetie." She rubbed my arm. "Besides, I think it gave me the push forward I needed to get out of the headspace I was in."

"But that should've have had to happen."

She nodded. "I know. But when I saw the look on your face I knew I had to forget about me for a while and focus on you."

My hand rested on hers. "Thank you for being there for me." I sat up. "I've really needed you for a long time." My eyes fogged up with happy tears. "I know you're still sick, mom, but please don't leave us like that again. I don't know if I can take it."

She gave a sad half grin. "I'll try my best. This is all so new to me. I never know what emotion I'll feel next. That terrifies me, Brooke. But I'm going to get professional help and I'll deal with it as best I can."

"Like a therapist?"

"Yes. It may even be good for us to go as a family. If you both agree to it."

Sure, it would probably be great for us to go as a family, but did we really have time?

"I'll bring up to your father. You think about it, okay?"

I nodded.

Something that poked at my mind all evening needed to be answered.

"Mom?"

She looked at me. "Yeah?"

I turned my body towards hers. "What did Stavo say to you at the barn? When you were in the car he said something that got a reaction out of you. Out of everything that happened before that nothing got through to you, so what did he say?"

She angled towards me. Her hand smoothed my hair out of my face. "He told me what I needed to hear. He told me that you needed me." She let out a staggered breath as she looked down at her lap. "He told me how hard things have been for you and that he would give anything for his mother to hug him right now, to tell him everything was going to be okay." She looked up at me. "So that's what I did."

My heart once again broke for the boy that felt cheated out of a parent, that felt he caused her death with his birth. He didn't deserve to feel that way all his life. And the fact that my mom rejected him at first impression had to cut deeper than I realized.

"He's a sweet boy." She gave a shy smile. "Even in my unresponsive state he tried his best to escape and to make sure I was okay. He fought a lot." She gazed at me lovingly. "Because he has a lot to fight for."

The biggest, saddest smile overtook my face as I blinked through the beginning of tears. My stomach felt all fuzzy at the thought of him. "I like him a lot, mom." I nodded. "He's a nice guy. I know we have the absolute worst timing and with everything with Jake still being fresh..." I paused and flushed. "I love him." I confessed. "And it scares me because I don't think I should be feeling this way. Not this soon. Not this young. I don't think I'm in love with him yet..." My hand shoved my bangs back. "I don't know if it's the intensity of our lives or if this is real, but I have these feelings. Like I can't breathe until I see him again. I can't sleep until I know he's alive. Am I foolish and naive for falling so fast for a guy I barely know?"

She nodded with a laugh. "Oh absolutely." She grinned. "But unlike most people your age, you and Stavo have been through one too many life or death situations. It's completely reasonable that your feelings would grow stronger with every survival."

I let out a relieved sigh, extremely thankful that she didn't dismiss all of this as puppy love. And sure, maybe that's what it was, but it was still love nonetheless. Whether or not I was in love with Stavo or not wasn't the focal point. It was that I loved him outside of any romantic dealings. Then, again, he made it hard not to love him.

"I'm sorry," She started. "Not just about letting myself get to this point or making your father lie to you. I'm sorry that I didn't fight back earlier. Mostly, I'm sorry that I didn't give Stavo a chance the other day."

Touched that she apologized, I hugged her. "Mom, it's okay. You're only human. And I was more heartbroken for Stavo than upset with you that night." I pulled away. "There's things about his mom that hurts him more than anything. Things that thanks to me the whole school knows now and I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I want you to apologize to him."

She nodded. "That's fair. What happened with his mom? Did she walk out on him?"

"Not exactly," I grabbed her hands in mine. "She died while giving birth to him."

That hung in the air.

Her eyes glistened as she played out the scenario in her head. "That's awful."

I nodded. "And he blames himself for it. I told his dad. Again, I probably shouldn't have, but he deserves to know. He thinks his dad blames him and that's why they're not close. I don't know how to convince him otherwise. He's this freaking amazing guy and his life in cloaked in disappointments. No one as real and compassionate and talented as him should have to go through life thinking he's the cause of sadness. The fact that I don't know how to tell him that is driving me crazy because I can tell him everything else." I huffed, then fell onto my side. "What do I do?"

"Maybe you don't have to tell him. Show him."

"Are you giving me the greenlight to have sex with him already?" I joked.

She laughed. "Of course not. There's other ways to show someone you think the world of them besides sex."

My face scrunched up. "Like an Edible Arrangement?" I didn't even know if he liked fruit or not. I've never seen him put a piece of fruit into his mouth.

"Whatever you think will show him you care." She encouraged. "But I don't think an Edible Arrangement says exactly what you're looking for." She patted my knee.

"Well..." I fought off a grin. "I kind of invited his friends to come here and I think they're going to come."

She tilted her head. "Do you think now's the best time?"

I bit my lip. "I know, but they're fully aware of what's going on here." I thought about it. "I think."

Did Stavo tell them exactly what was happening? I mean, sure it would be on the news, but the average teen wasn't plugged in on the news. Especially news that didn't involve them. I'd have to make sure Cage knew that. I didn't want him walking into this blind.

"Stavo said he knew martial arts. And if any luck, Sheriff Acosta will put an end to this before they arrive." My tone hopeful. "But it's a secret," I pressed my finger to my mouth. "So shh."

I immediately thought of PLL, which made me think more about Stavo. I was sure I grinned like an idiot, but I didn't care. Everyone meets people meant for them and falls in love, but I had to believe it was rare that you ever met someone specifically crafted for you. Was it a coincidence that Stavo had gone through all his experiences only to move here and be equipped to help me through mine? If so then how lucky was I? And if not...then I had to wonder what the basis of our relationship would be if we both survived this whole mess? Would we grow stale? Part of the reason I felt so strongly about him was because he could die at any moment. What would happen when we were safe? Would our passion just sizzle out?

"That's a serious face," My mom commented. "Maybe you should share it with Stavo."

I shook my head. "No, I'm afraid to."

She yawned, but tried to cover it up.

"I'm sorry," I brought my hand to my chest. "Am I boring you to sleep, mother?" I asked sarcastically.

She waved it off. "No, I'm fine." She looked anything but.

"You know, it would make me worry less if you stayed in the guestroom instead of the in the guesthouse. It's just so far away and it's where the killer snatched you up the first time."

She nodded. "Very true." She yawned again.

My hand found hers. "Mom, go to bed. I'm just going to write down everything I want to say to Emma tomorrow."

"Are you sure?" She fought another yawn.

I jumped off the bed. "Yeah."

She stood. "Okay, sweetie." She held her arms out. "I love you."

That fear and reluctance from previous days was gone now, I realized. Now I could say it back and mean it.

"I love you, too." I grinned.

We hugged for a few good moments before she left.

I put on a playlist to cheer me up. Probably about twenty minutes after I started writing to Emma there was a knock on my window door.

My heart stilled as I sat rigidly at my desk.

"Brooklyn, unlock your damn door. It's creepy out here." Stavo said.

I snorted a laugh as I got up and peeped through the curtain to verify it was actually him. I quickly unlocked the door and let him in.

He dashed in like his life depended on it. And I guess it did.

Looking at him, I got caught up in the stubble and the bedroom eyes. And his everything. He smirked at me with knowing eyes.

"You idiot," I whispered because my mom was right next door sleeping. "Did you come here without an escort?" I shoved his shoulder.

His hand grabbed mine. "I had to see you." He towered over me.

Translation: I'd risk my life to see you again.

Well, I couldn't be mad at that. Actually, I could.

So I punched his arm as hard as I could.

He looked a mix between in shock and pain. "Dude..."

"That's for being an extreme idiot. What good is it going to do me if you end up murdered on your way to see me?" I glared at him.

A dimpled smile broke out on his face.

"Why are you smiling?"

"Because you love me." He said it so simply.

Boy was my face red.

"Well...Duh." I became flustered and retreated to my desk chair. My focus went back to the notebook in front of me.

He sat on the edge of my desk. "What's that? Your diary? Are you gushing about me?"

"No," I glanced up at him briefly. "It's for Emma. All the things I want to say to her."

He blew out a remorseful breath. "Now I feel like a jackass."

I grinned. "You should." I teased as I kept my eyes strictly on the paper.

"You know Emma's going to forgive you. She knows it wasn't your fault. She just needs time."

I nodded. "Of course. I'll give her the space she needs, but it doesn't hurt any less." My pen tapped the paper. "I lost Maggie, too. She was like a second mom to me."

His hand found mine again. "This may sound really insensitive. In fact, I know it will and I'm sorry for that. But even though you lost one mother you gained another."

"What do you mean?" I looked straight ahead.

"You got your mom back."

I gave a wry grin. "Yeah, at the cost of Maggie's life. How is that fair?"

His hand squeezed mine. "It isn't."

My fingers laced together with his in need of support. "I think I'm going to find a way to tribute to the memory of Maggie. I don't know what it is yet, but I have to do something."

"That sounds like a great idea. Let me know if you want my help. I'm sure all of us would love to contribute."

I nodded.

Finally fed up, he tore his hand away from mine and lifted my head up by my chin. His light brown eyes stared into mine in question. "Why won't you look at me?"

Again, I got lost in his everything. I tore my gaze away. "Because the last time you were on this desk I got carried away and it didn't end so well." I glanced at him for his reaction.

He actually looked surprised. "Oh."

I chuckled. "Yeah."

How bad was it that even after everything that happened today I still wanted to push him down on that bed and demonstrate just how much he meant to me? Maybe I was a nympho.

The thought made me grin.

"Maybe I should wear less revealing clothing around you. Would that help?" He joked.

He always wore jeans, long sleeved shirts, and jackets. I barely saw enough of him as it is. Which reminded me.

"Don't be cute," I rolled up his right sleeve, but it wouldn't go high enough, so I pulled his shirt up.

"Uh, Brooke..." He asked warily.

I briefly checked out his abs and pecs...and his massive biceps. Goddamn.

"Brooke?" He asked again urgently.

My head shook some sense into me. I ripped the shirt off enough to reveal the knife tattoo on his forearm.

"Ah ha!" I inspected in closer. "I knew it was real."

He looked confused. "You undressed me all for a tattoo? Not that I'm complaining," He gave me a sexy smirk. "But this doesn't help the whole friends thing."

I rolled my eyes. "I saw this when I was on Ayahuasca. I wasn't sure if it was real or not. Why didn't you tell me you had a tattoo?"

He put his shirt back on to my dismay. "Because I didn't think it was a big deal. It's just a tattoo."

"It's a permanent part of you, Stavo. What if I don't like tattoos and it's a dealbreaker?" I posed the question.

He grinned. "Do you not like tattoos?"

"That's besides the point," I mentally fanned myself. "What if I had a piercing on my clit and I didn't tell you? What would you do when you are down there?" I blushed.

He laughed. "Do you have a piercing on your clit?"

My head shook as I grinned. "No."

He blantly checked me out. "To answer your question," He circled behind me, his hands slid down from my shoulders to my waist while his mouth hovered in the space between my shoulder and neck. "You're going to have to wait and find out." He said into my ear.

Every part of me that he touched was alive. Wetness would've definitely pooled in my panties if I were wearing any.

I leaned back into him and tilted my head for him to get a better angle. "Here I thought you were saving yourself for the perfect moment." I felt his breath tickle the skin of my neck. "Have I teased you out of your resolution?"

His mouth pressed against my skin. "Maybe,"

I moaned, then rubbed my ass against his evident erection. "Don't make empty promises. It's not polite."

One of his strong hands gripped my waist as the other slid down irritatingly slow toward my vagina. "No, it isn't. Isn't it?" His fingers slipped past the barrier of my shorts.

"Would you hurry up? You're killing me here."

He pulled his hand away and stepped back.

I turned to him with narrowed eyes. "What the hell?"

"Is there a problem?" He asked innocently.

I gave him an evil look. "You're a tease. That wasn't fair."

He chuckled. "Neither is you purposefully making me hard all week." He sat down on the corner of my bed.

I couldn't hide the fact that I eye raped him. "If you want to play dirty I can do dirty." I sat on his lap while my hands went into his hair. A moan left both of us as I grinded on him. My lips went to his ear. "Do you like that, daddy?"

He groaned. "Brooke, we can't do this."

"Can you please just make me feel good?"

This wasn't just about distracting me from the events of today, but giving me something good to remember this day by.

Once he realized that, he asked, "Is your door locked?"

I pushed him back on my bed and jumped up to lock it so my dad wouldn't interrupt. When I turned back to him I bit my lip. I got rid of my shirt, then all but attacked him, my hands worked on his pants.

He chuckled, but gently grabbed my hands. "None of that today."

"I'm about to slap you." I threatened.

He grinned, then took over my mouth as he pushed us back on my bed. With him on top, he kissed his way down my neck, in between my breasts, then down to my stomach.

Was this really happening?

He looked up at me as he neared my shorts. "Are you sure about this?"

"Stavo, If you don't start eating me out I'm pushing your head down there." I was as serious as a heart attack. I wasn't proud of it, but I might just rape this boy.

His eyes said a whole lot that his mouth didn't. He slid down my cotton shorts and immediately smirked. "Damn, Brooke." He praised.

I grinned. "I try."

Like a jackass, he rested his head on my thigh. "Come to think of it, I have somewhere to be. What's your schedule for the next few days?" He loved testing me.

My hands grabbed his face and pushed it into my vagina. "Please, don't make me regret liking you."

His hands grabbed my hips with a purpose. Almost instantly he started eating away. Quite expertly I might add. He sucked at my pussy lips, then his tongue flicked at my clit.

My eyes closed as I relished the sensation. This was a long time coming. Literally.

His hand slid up and squeezed my boob.

"Ahh," I moaned. "God, you're good at that." I looked down to find him watching me.

He arched a brow, then slid a thick finger inside me.

"Uhh." I bit my lip. "Why did we wait so long to do this?"

He pulled away his mouth and rubbed my clit with his thumb. "So it would mean something."

I grinned as I wiggled my hips. "Trust me, this means something." I promised. "Because you mean something to me. That's all that matters."

That was enough for him to dive back in with a newfound confidence. He sucked some more at my clit, then added another finger for me to clench around.

My hand slapped over my mouth to contain my uncontrollable sex noises. Good Lord. This was what I needed to end a day like today. As he worked his fingers in and out of me my control completely shattered. My hands grasped the sheets to try and find an anchor, but it was no use. I was getting higher and higher the longer he was between my thighs.

"Please," I begged. "Don't stop." My eyes went to the ceiling.

His fingers moved faster.

I was so close.

"Stavo," I moaned breathlessly. "Oh, God."

I could practically feel him smirking against me. This wouldn't help his ego. Well, nothing I did helped his ego but inflated it. At least, he wasn't a cocky asshole, but a really decent guy. A decent guy that was bringing me closer to the edge with each passing second.

His thumb replaced his mouth as he crawled up to meet me.

I licked away my juices from his face, then tugged at his lips. I gladly groaned into his mouth.

"Are you close?" He whispered as his mouth hovered over mine.

My head nodded. "So close."

His mouth kissed its way down my neck until he lightly bit me.

I involuntarily clenched around his fingers. "Fuck," My body stiffened.

"Are you going to cum for me, Brooke?"

My eyes fluttered shut. "Yes. Ahh, fuck yes. Don't stop, please." My hand ran through his hair lovingly. "Harder."

He delivered exceptionally. His mouth pressed on mine lightly before he pressed his forehead against mine. Our breaths mingled. "Cum for me."

I did just that.

I breathed out as silently as I could, remembering we weren't alone in this house. My hands caressed his face while I rode out my momentary high. After it wore off and I got a chance to catch my breathe, I gazed up at him. And damn if I didn't love what I saw.

"That was great," I grinned cheekily. "Thank you."

He grinned his dimpled grin. "Don't get used to it. We still shouldn't have done this."

I kissed the corner of his mouth. "Don't be a party pooper." I reached for his pants.

He pulled away. "No,"

My brow arched. "No? You're hard as a rock and you're telling me no? Are you sure you're not gay?"

He laughed. "Just because I don't want to ruin our friendship with premature sex doesn't make me gay, Brooklyn."

"No, it makes you a really good guy." I added. "And it makes me feel like a tramp because you keep denying me."

He laughed so more. "You're not a tramp. I just..." Any hint of amusement left him. His eyes gazed into mine with concern. "This thing between us is the best thing that's happened to me in a really long time. You know how I feel about you. Of course, I want to be with you in that way all the time, but we're not there yet."

"You mean, I'm not there yet because of Jake?"

He nodded. "Same thing." He helped slide my shorts back on, then licked his fingers.

Damn, that was hot.

He looked at me with hooded eyes and grinned. "You taste good." He wiggled his eyebrows.

I laughed. "Maybe some day I'll be able to say the same."

His jaw clenched. "I'll just have to use my hand until then."

The thought of him pleasuring himself while thinking about me was enough to send me into another bout of horniness.

"See," He pointed at me. "This was a bad idea. Now it's going to be harder not to do this."

My hands raised in surrender. "I know how use my hand, too." I pulled my shirt over my head. I got under the covers.

He pulled me close to him as he layed on his back. His eyes stayed on the ceiling.

"Something else is bothering you," My hand rested on his chest.

He turned his head to gaze at me. "Promise me something?"

I nodded. "Sure."

"Promise me that you won't confuse feeling grateful for me with having feelings for me."

My forehead creased in concern. "Why would you think that?"

"Because it's easy to confuse the two."

I brought my hand to his face. "I can do both." My hand ran over his cheek. "I like you and that's not going to go away anytime soon. So don't worry. We just have to figure out our shit first." I gave a tiny grin. "We have time."

He got a faraway look in his eyes, then cleared his throat. "You know, when I was in that barn you were pretty much all I thought about besides escaping."

That warmed my heart even more.

"And I kept thinking if I die today I wouldn't get the chance to say this to your face," His hand grabbed the one I had on his face and laced our fingers together. He looked deep into my eyes and said, "I love you, Brooke."

My heart failed me. Sure, we said it over the phone and it fairly obvious to probably anybody who watched us, but him actually saying it with me present was monumental.

It was all I could do to keep the giant smile off my face. "I know."

"Now that I've thoroughly poured my heart to you can you do something for me?"

Amusement filled me as I shot up for my laptop. "I guess, we can watch Pretty Little Liars."

He sighed in relief. "Finally." He turned a bit red. "I also worried that I wouldn't find out who A was in the barn."

Laughter bubbled out of me. "You're too into this show."

He held his hand to his chest. "That hurts."

My eyes rolled. I settled in with the laptop in the middle of the bed, I left a safe distance between us. We were the king and queen of mixed signals. One minute we were hot and heavy, then the next we firmly believed we had to be just friends. Now we were back to the just friends part of the play.

Halfway through the next episode my stomach cramped up and before I knew it, it was too late. I farted.

He paused the episode, then turned to me with an arched brow. A grin played on his lips. "Did you just fart?"

"No." I denied even though the ripe smell of my gas surrounded us. My face was redder than it ever was.

He died of laughter.

"It's not funny." I pushed his side.

"Oh, yes. It is." He playfully pushed my shoulder. "You're gross."

I punched him in the ribs. "Eat a dick."

He clutched his side. "I'll send you my hospital bill."

"Oh, admit it. You like when I beat you up."

"Un pequeno." He winced as he raised his shirt and inspected his side.

Not even one part of me felt bad because I got to see his obliques and a little bit of abs.

My hand reached out to caress his side. "You poor baby." I leaned down to kiss his skin. When I pulled away he stared down at me with heavy intent in his eyes, but he didn't stop me when I layed back. I had to wonder how much of his wanting to wait was for our benefit versus him trying to do the right thing. I assumed he had this innate ability to resist temptation because he as a good guy, but maybe that wasn't it at all. Maybe he wanted to be with me all the time and he would feel like he was taking advantage of me. I doubt he'd give me an answer if I asked.

I resumed the episode of PLL.

There was a bit of tension in the air, but when wasn't there when he was around. So I let it go and enjoyed the show even though I'd already seen these episodes.

Tiredness washed over me, but I fought it.

A few minutes later my door swung open and in walked Emma with a scowl. She held a gun with shaky hands.

Stavo and I sat up abruptly.

"Don't move." She threatened with wild eyes.

"Emma," Stavo raised his hands cautiously.

She pointed the gun at him. "Shut up," She aimed the gun at his leg and shot.

He groaned in pain, his hands went to his bleeding leg.

"Emma, what the hell?" I demanded. "Are you crazy?"

She shook her head. "Just pissed. And a little tipsy." She shot his other leg with perfect aim. "You can thank Kieran. He taught me how to shoot." She let out a crazed laugh.

I angled my body in front of Stavo's. "Why are you doing this?" I asked even though I knew the answer.

"Because you bitch," She shot just a hair above my head. "You killed my mom!" She looked at Stavo. "And now I'm going to take away something you love."

My eyes widened. "No!" I moved to cover him when the gun went off. A ringing in my ears disoriented me.

"Brooke!" Stavo said, but it sounded far away.

A/N: Okay guys, that's it for this chapter. I wanted to apologize again because of the wait. I've been a busy bee with work and school starting back up this month.

I wanted to add that in the second to last episode when Brooke and Stavo were in the bed in the beginning that they totally played out part of a scene that was in the last chapter that was up BEFORE the episode aired. I geeked out. It was when she said "That's why people think you're creepy," He asked her something about who the creepy one was and she said, "Still you." My scene went pretty much the same when she woke up from her nap after the funeral. Anyway, I thought that was cool.

Also, I wanted to apologize if Brooke joking about raping Stavo offended anybody.

Please tell me what you thought of this chapter. Reviews make me want me to put up more chapters faster :) Thanks for reading yall!


	14. Freeze You Out

Chapter 14:   
The song for this chapter is Sia - Freeze You Out

Apologies for the long wait yall I have two jobs ( I don't know if I already told yall that ) but I've been working open to close almost everyday for the past two weeks so bare with me, especially because classes start back up for me tomorrow. :) 

I jolted awake in my bed with a loud gasp. Sweat coated my skin as my heart struggled to calm down. Darkness filled my room, but as my eyes adjusted I noticed a figure sitting in my desk chair. I momentarily stilled, then made out his face brightened by his iPad.  
He watched me carefully, then gazed back at his tablet as he continued to draw. “You okay?” His eyes flicked up to mine momentarily.  
Taking note of the situation I relaxed. Obviously, Stavo hadn’t been shot because he sat at my desk in no pain at all. My hands ran over my body. I hadn’t been shot. It had all been a dream. Emma had never been here?   
Hope filled me. I turned on my bedside lamp.   
“What’s that look for?”   
My eyes met his. “It was all a dream.” I laughed in relief. “Everything’s okay.”   
He locked his tablet, then gestured for me to come sit on his lap.   
My eyes never left his as I ventured over to him. A faint blush tinted my cheeks as I recalled the part of the dream where he did one hell of a job of going down on me.  
“You had a bad dream,” He said with his hands on my lap. “Tell me about it.”   
Any trace of happiness left while my brain recalled the horrible concoctions it came up with while I was in dream mode. Thank God I had waken up from all of that.   
“I dreamt that Emma came in here and shot you. It was terrible.”  
He nodded. “Why would she shoot me of all people?”   
“She said she wanted to take away someone important from me because I took someone important to her.” I sighed. “I dreamt that Maggie was dead, that I killed her.” My head shook. “That was the worst.” When I noticed his body stiffen under me and his eyes soften, I asked, “Why are you looking at me like that? What’s wrong?”   
He looked at me with a lost for words as his head shook slightly.   
“Stavo?” I urged.   
Finally, his hand grabbed mine and squeezed. “She’s gone, Brooke. That part wasn’t a dream.”   
My eyes narrowed as I tried to process what he told me. I thought back to everything and remembered how real the events of today were, I remembered watching PLL with him and drifting off to sleep. I killed Maggie. I actually killed her.   
“Oh my God,” I rose from his lap, then ran to the bathroom.   
He trailed behind me. “Brooke?”  
I couldn’t stop the contents of my stomach from coming up my throat and splattering against the toilet bowl. Tears stung my eyes as I let everything out.   
Stavo held my hair back like the best dude friend he was.  
“Get it out,” He encouraged.   
Another round of vomit exploded from me in a gagging fit of disgust. How could he stand to be behind me?   
When it looked like I was emptied out he handed me some toilet paper.   
“Thanks,” I grumbled while I slumped against the toilet and wiped my face for any traces of puke bits. When I was sure I was done I flushed the toilet and stood. I couldn’t even look at Stavo for fear I’d start crying, so I brushed my teeth until they were clean. My hopes of keeping it together went out the window when my eyes caught sight of my reflection.   
I looked like the same old Brooke to anyone who didn’t know me. To myself, I looked like the embodiment of failure. Of disappointment. Of seth-loathing.   
“Hey,” Stavo interrupted my hate fest. He looked at me with knowing eyes. “Come with me,” He led me down the stairs, past the people in my my living room, and to the garage.   
“What are we doing here?” I asked.   
He bent down and grabbed my boxing gloves, then handed them to me. “What I think will help you.” He gestured towards the punching bag. “Go at it.”   
We turned at the presence of two police officers outside the garage door. Rightfully so, his dad had increased our police presence. Hopefully, this time one of them won’t be the killer. Loomis sprung to mind. He had to be the killer. The creepy cape and mask was found in his trunk.  
How could he do that to me? To us? I trusted him. We all trusted him. I thought we could’ve been friends at one point and now he was just some psycho that tried to rip apart my life. Because of him I almost lost my mom and best friend. Because of him I did lose Maggie. And as a result, I lost Emma.  
All of that replayed over and over in my mind as my fist did the talking for me. I was frustrated. I was depressed. I was lost. And hopeless. The fact that this was exactly what Loomis wanted only egged me on more while my gloves punched and jabbed at the pleather covered bag of sand.   
Stavo helped by holding the bag in place, making it easier for me to hit the bag where I wanted and harder because of the resistance. Him literally risking taking a punch to help me cope made me ever more grateful. If I had lost him tonight...I couldn’t even think about it. He was quite literally the only thing holding me upright. He was the only person that seemed to get through to me lately and maybe I’d been taking that for granted. He was the best guy I knew. He was my best friend, I realized.  
And I repeatedly tried to seduce him to make myself forget about my own horrible life for a few moments. How selfish was that? Especially after he repeatedly told me he didn’t want to rush things because he cared about me.  
“Can I join in?”   
I stopped mid-punch to see my dad standing a few feet away. A tiny grin flashed across my face, but was gone before it could stick. I pulled off the gloves and handed them to him, then wiped the sweat off my forehead with the back of my forearm.   
“Monica wants to talk to you,” My dad said.   
I nodded. “Okay,” I started toward the door, prepared to let them have their boy time.   
“Not you, sweetie,” My dad called.   
I turned back with raised brows, then looked to Stavo.   
He looked surprised. “Me? She wants to talk to me?”   
My dad nodded, but looked like he was fighting a smile. “Yes.”   
Stavo met my gaze with curious eyes, so I looked around the garage. He walked towards me. “Do you know anything about this?”   
My head shook. “No,” I lied. I could tell he rolled his eyes even though I wasn’t looking at him.   
“You know that I know when you’re lying, right?”   
Instead of answering him, I nudged him towards the door. “Go find out what she wants.”  
He glanced back at me and my dad before he pushed through the officers and headed towards the house.   
“Is that your doing?” My dad asked after his first few punches.   
I went to steady the bag for him. “I hope so.” I glanced at the door to make sure no one was listening. “I kind of told mom about Stavo’s mom.”   
He met my eyes briefly, then went back to punching. “What about his mom?”  
Acosta hadn’t told my dad? I mean, at this point didn’t the whole town know because I was a blabbermouth? Seriously, I shouldn’t keep telling people, but these were my parents. My dad cared about Stavo and I hoped that my mom would too.   
Even so, I said, “He’ll have to tell you that himself. I think he deserves that.”   
We went back and forth long enough to wonder where Stavo was. Was he really still talking to my mom? How long was her apology?  
“Brooke,” My dad called.  
I looked up at him. “Huh?”   
He pointed towards the house. “Go check on him if you want.” He half grinned.   
“No, it’s fine.” I waved it off. “We’re bonding. Now hit the bag, daddy.” I regripped the bag.   
My not wanting to go up there was more of being too chicken to see if he was mad at me for telling yet another person about his personal demons as much as it was not wanting to leave this daddy daughter hang out time. We rarely got it and I didn’t want to let it go for a boy. Even if the boy was very caliente.   
He took off the gloves and handed them to me. “No, it’s your turn.”   
Excitement filled me again at the prospect of hitting a target that couldn’t hit back. It was certainly therapeutic.   
My dad held the bag in place. “So we never had a talk about what you learned or did on your overnight trip out of town. You came back and this punching bag was a part of your life. How’d that happen?” He panted for breath.   
I uppercut the bag a few times before I said, “The short version?”   
He shrugged.   
“I went to a dive bar, met a boy. Well, he was my waiter.” I jabbed at the bag. “He was a cocky jerk, so I poured my soda on him. Then we talked a bit and he told me how he could help me get better.” I jab crossed, then met my dad’s eyes. “This was it. He was not as bad as I thought. Especially after he told me I reminded him of his dead sister.”  
He paused. “Wow. That’s...”  
“Morbid.” I supplied.  
He nodded. “And after that?”  
I blew out a nervous breath because I knew my dad would flip out once I told him I went off with a complete stranger, much like Stavo did.   
“I bought this stuff. Drew helped me pick it out. Before you flip out, daddy, remember that I was looking for something that night. Anything to make all of this make sense. What Drew told me made sense.” I gave a reassuring look. “He didn’t make a move on me or anything, I swear. He just said he helped me because that’s why he’s starting up his own MMA gym soon.”  
My dad took all of that in and nodded. “Do you still keep in touch with Drew?”   
I shrugged. “We talked a few times since then. Mostly my asking him about a certain move. He offered to come this way and teach me more moves.” I saw the gears shift in my dad’s head, so I held my hands up cautiously. “He specified with someone else present. Trust me, he knows it sounds sketchy.” I gave a small laugh.   
All of this felt wrong. I wasn’t dancing on rainbows right now, but I was still happy. And I didn’t deserve to be happy after what I did. Accident or not, I still lost someone that I could never get back. It was still my fault. No matter how many times I punched the bag it wouldn’t bring Maggie back. It wouldn’t bring back Jake. Or Will, Nina, Tyler, or Riley. But it was better than the alternative.   
My eyes settled on my dad’s. “I’m glad you weren’t there. I didn’t want you to see that. Who I became around the killer...” I deflated. “I was no better than him.”  
His eyes softened, he came to wrap his arms around me. “Sweetie, don’t think like that.” He rested his chin on top of my head. “None of this is your fault.”   
“But it is.” I teared up. “I was the one who shot Maggie.”  
He let out a sigh. “Miguel shouldn’t have given you a gun. You don’t know how to use it.”  
My protective defenses went up. “Don’t blame Acosta. He did the best he could with the situation. I begged him not to call it in. If he hadn’t given me a gun mom might be dead right now.”   
He stilled around me. “What?”   
I looked up at him. “Loomis had a knife to her throat. If I hadn’t shot him then mom wouldn’t be here. Acosta didn’t do anything wrong.”   
“Alright.” He looked at the officers briefly, then back at me. “You don’t really think Bill did all of this? He didn’t even know you before he was assigned to be your protective detail, sweetheart.”  
That didn’t stop Piper from trying to kill all of us the first time.   
“Maybe he didn’t, but they found the killer’s costume in his trunk. And why was he awol during all of that?”   
He shrugged. “I don’t know, but I don’t believe it’s that simple. He had multiple opportunities to hurt you, but he didn’t. As far as I know, he’s still being obtained at the precinct. They’re waiting on forensics to match a strand of DNA they found.”   
Well, that was something. But wasn’t there blood from when I shot him? The killer retreated in pain so I knew I got him, but when Loomis arrived his was just fine. Maybe he wasn’t the killer, but he was still on my bye bitch list. First Loomis insulted me, he hurt me, and then he wasn’t there for me when I needed him most. There was no way he’d come near me again. Not unless he wanted another one across the mouth.   
“We better go check on them.” My dad suggested.   
Grateful, I hurriedly tore off the sweaty gloves. We made our way up to the house with the escorts. We found them off in a nook talking over cups of coffee. Stavo didn’t look happy. But he didn’t look angry either.   
“Hey,” I greeted nervously.   
My mom looked at us. “Hey,”  
Stavo wouldn’t really look at me. He blinked rapidly a few times and looked down at his coffee.   
What did they talk about?   
“Is everything alright here?” My dad asked cautiously.  
My eyes shot to my mom.  
She nodded. “Yes. Stavo and I were just chatting.” Her tone suggested we make ourselves scarce.   
I was about to protest because Stavo was clearly upset about something and all I wanted to do was wrap him in a hug, but my mom gave me a motherly look that said back off for a moment.  
My dad cleared his throat. “Come on, honey. Let’s go get cleaned up.”   
I waited until Stavo looked up at me to convey everything was okay with his eyes, but he never did. So I followed my dad through the group of officers and city officials in the living room and upstairs where we showered.   
Once I got out of the shower I avoided the mirror all together and got dressed in one of Stavo’s black hoodies and a pair of yoga pants because what else would I wear in my time of mourning? I thought back to how I got him to take off the hoodie.

 

FLASHBACK:  
Stavo took a break from tutoring me to text his friends. Not that I was under the impression that Stavo’s life revolved around me, but it had been like ten minutes of him in his phone, and I wanted him to pay me some attention dammit.   
“I’ve been thinking about going braless from now on.” I said to get his attention.   
He looked over at me with raised brows. “Huh?”   
A satisfied grin played on my lips. “Kidding.”   
He went back to his phone.  
My amusement faded, replaced by annoyance. I tried to get back into my copy of Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles, but it was no use. The sharp line of his jaw kept distracting me. He got me all hot and he wasn’t paying any attention to me. It wasn’t fair.  
I guess it was time to play my new favorite game.   
I fake yawned as I stood to stretch. My arms reached to the ceiling, then I bent down to my feet in the most sexual way possible in my little black shorts. My eyes looked up to see if he was watching. And boy was he watching.   
His brow arched as he held his forgotten phone in his hand. A look of hunger filled his gaze.  
A sense of womanly pride filled me, so I flipped my head up first to smirk at him. “Did I distract you from your very important text messages?”   
He chuckled, then grabbed me by my hips to pull me onto his lap. “You’re very needy, aren’t you?” His strong hands burned where he held me.   
My arms wrapped behind his neck. “Oh, of course.” I grinned. “You know me. You know I love attention.” I tilted my head and gazed at him.  
“So you decided to shove your ass in my face?” Amusement hung from his husky voice.  
I nodded. “I’m immature like that.” I leaned down to plant delicate kisses on his neck.   
He groaned. Even though his hand tried to push me away his hips still moved into mine, his erection grinded into me. “We can’t,” He moaned.  
My mouth attacked his while I shamelessly grinded against him. My hands tugged on his hair, knowing he loved when I did that.   
His mouth kissed and nipped at my neck while his hand massaged my boob.  
“You were saying?” I moaned. “That we can’t do this and I’m needy.” I tried to pull away, but he moved with me.  
“Forget what I was saying.” He looked to my eyes. Hunger sat in his gaze along with something that didn’t sit well with me. He pushed us down so that he was on top of me. He reached to his back to pull his black hoodie over his head, which pulled his shirt underneath up a bit to expose his V.   
Even though my body ached for him I had sense enough to know that there was something wrong. I egged Stavo on all the time and he never did anything about it and I didn’t buy he just broke. We had fun petting sessions sometimes, but they never went beyond that. He never wanted to have sex and now here was undoing his pants and totally unconcerned about the setting. Did something happen with his friends?   
The distinct voice of my dad filled the house from nearby. He was on the phone with someone. Shit. He could not find us like this. No matter how much he liked Stavo he’d kill him if he saw what he was about to do to me.  
Quickly, I pulled Stavo completely on top of me, then shoved us onto the floor. Probably not the best move considering it made a loud thud, but it bought us time enough to get his clothes in order and our hair unsexified before my dad rounded the corner to find us on the floor.   
We still had our textbooks splayed across the table so we made it look like we were still studying when my dad looked down at us.  
“How’s it going you two?” He asked.   
“Great,” Stavo nodded stiffly. “Sir.”  
I shoved my bangs out of my face. “Yup.”   
My dad reached down to turn the book I held right side up. “Glad to see you’re taking your school work more seriously.” He gave me a knowing look, then glanced at Stavo. “You look a little frazzled, son.”  
My eyes caught sight of his black hoodie in between us and I quickly pulled it behind my back in the most unstealth way possible.   
My dad chuckled as he glanced between us. “Keep it safe, kids.”   
I blushed. “Daddy!”   
“Yes, sir.” Stavo promised.  
My hand flashed out and smacked his chest in embarrassment.   
He grabbed my hand and held it between his, there was a need for closeness in his eyes.   
My dad left and went back to his conversation on the phone.   
I looked back at Stavo with curious eyes. “What was that about?”   
“Forget it.” He waved it off, then grabbed the book I was reading for fun. He arched a brow at me with a dimpled smile. “Is this supposed to be us?”   
I shrugged. “Tell me what happened earlier.”  
He flipped through the pages until he found my bookmark. “Do you want me to be a chollo?” He completely ignored the important topic at hand. He looked over at me. “Because I don’t think Lakewood has any gangs.”   
I let it go.  
“No,” I took the book from him. “I like you just the way you are.”   
We went back to studying, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that he didn’t trust me enough to talk to me. Could I blame him? I was a notorious gossip.

 

Present:

A grin danced on my face at the memory, only to turn into a full smile when I caught sight of the Les Mills Combat workout dvd he bought me. He showed me he cared about me time and time again. It was time to show him I cared.   
By the time I made my way downstairs, the city officials had left and the escorts had surrounded the perimeter or so my mom told me as I approached them in the same spot.   
She patted his knee before going upstairs to assumably find my dad. If they were about to have sex, I didn’t want to know about it.   
I didn’t know what to do with myself. Whatever they just talked about seemed to have gone deeper than an apology and I couldn’t decide if him not looking at me meant he was upset I told my mom about his mom. So I just leaned against the wall across from him. He was quiet for so long I slid down to the floor and waited.  
When he finally looked at me my heart stilled in indecision. His dark eyes ran over me, probably wondering why I had his hoodie on, but he remained silent as he gazed at me.  
Nervously, I played with my fingers in my lap. “Please, say something. I can’t tell what you’re thinking and it’s really scaring me.”  
Instead of speaking, he turned his gaze away from like he didn’t know how to form words.   
I went to him desperately, I slid into the window seat next to him. My hands grabbed his as my eyes fought for him to look at me. “Gustavo?”   
His eyes snapped to mine in some kind of realization, but they were darkened by something that went beyond my understanding. Suddenly his eyes started to shine with unshed tears and he looked down at his lap.  
Sadness washed over me when I saw the crystal lines of water trickle down his cheeks. My heart broke seeing him so upset about something I couldn’t help with, something he didn’t want me to know about. All throughout our friendship he had been the one to be there for me, to talk me off the ledge, to keep me grounded. Now was my chance to show I cared about him.   
I slid my hands up to grasp his face in need, need for him to see that I was here for him. Always. My thumbs wiped away the tears that kept coming. I let my eyes let him know that he could confide in me. It wasn’t much, but it was all I had.   
His face crumbled before me and he leaned his head into my chest as he wept.   
The action brought tears to my own eyes. Seeing him cry broke my heart. If I had to guess what this was about it would be about his mom or Angie. Both of the things I couldn’t do anything about. I couldn’t bring them back. Because I would in a heartbeat if I thought it would make his pain go away. Even if it meant he left me and I’d never see him again.   
I breathed out a shaky breath and let my arms wrap around his heaving body. My head layed on top of his, I ran my hand through his hair and down his back in what I hoped were soothing motions. Clearly, I wasn’t helping him and that gnawed at me incessantly because I realized something devastating. I wasn’t good enough for him. Mentally or physically. I could verbally tell him he was going to be okay, but what good would that do if I wasn’t what he wanted. Like I still wanted Jake in a lot of ways he still longed for Angie after two years. Would I end up like him after two years, still heartbroken and damaged by the lost of a love? Maybe the one that affected me more directly was how long would it be before Stavo healed completely? Because if he couldn’t then how could we have a future together?   
As I held him now I realized that I would be okay with him in my life. I would heal completely in given time because I wanted to be with him. Not just because he was gorgeous or he spoke sweet nothings into my ear, but because he made me feel things I didn’t know were possible. Yes, I had been in love with Jake and I still loved him, but how I felt about Stavo was completely different. He made me feel invincible. He made me feel smart. And strong. He made me believe in myself in ways I thought I never would. He hadn’t lied to me or manipulated me to get me to like him like Jake had. Believe me, I forgave Jake after months of indecision, but it was always in the back of my head if any of what we had was real. Jake was the apex predator in our relationship, he played me to his will. And because I trusted him I let him in. But with Stavo...I shoved him away and then it wasn’t an option for him to be in my life. I needed him because I was scared and I felt alone. He’d been there. How could I not love someone like him?   
So I told him that.  
“I love you, Stavo.” My hand caressed his face. “I’m not going anywhere.” I promised.  
He nodded against my chest, but didn’t say anything in return. Not because he didn’t feel the same I don’t think, but because he couldn’t get the words out. When he was cried out he slid down until his head rested in my lap, his swollen red eyes looked up at me in a way that I felt like enough for him.   
So I said it again.   
“I love you.” My hand cupped his face, my thumb stroked the remaining wetness off his face. “And I want you to know that there’s nothing wrong with you. Not one damn thing.” I sniffled and let a smile shine through. “But you have to stop blaming yourself for what happened with your mom and Angie. There was nothing you could’ve done. Even if there was it still wasn’t your fault.” My thumb wiped the tears from his lips, then my eyes slid back up to his. “Do you understand that?”   
When he nodded I felt hope spring in my chest. Had I gotten through to him? Well, it was more likely that my mom had gotten through to him. How did she do it? How did she do the impossible feat that I couldn’t?   
“I’m sorry, Brooke.” He spoke in a crackled whisper.   
“You have nothing to be sorry about.” I gave an encouraging grin.   
He shook his head. “I have a lot to be sorry about.”   
A huff left me, I tucked my blonde strands behind my ear as I gazed at him. “Well, whatever it is doesn’t change the fact that you’re human. You make mistakes like the rest of us.” I shrugged. “People will forgive you. Whether or not you forgive yourself is the question.” My hand gently tugged at his hair. “Please forgive yourself.” My eyes begged his. “Because it hurts to see you like this.”  
He gave a wary half grin. “Now you know how it feels.” He didn’t say it maliciously, but informatively.   
This was how he felt every time he had to pick me up? He had done a lot of picking me up from the very start of our friendship. Now I felt incredibly sad and guilty.   
I couldn’t look him in the eyes with the knowledge that I caused him to feel this way pretty much daily. But did that mean he loved me in the same way I loved him? Like I knew it was quickly forming into the kind of love that meant more. Or was he too broken to feel that for me?   
“Brooke?” He looked up at me.  
“Yeah?”   
His hand grabbed mine. “Thank you for loving me.” Shame flitted across his face. “I didn’t think anyone would for a long time.”   
My heart failed me.  
“It’s the easiest thing I’ve ever done.” I gave a smile. “And you didn’t really give me much of a choice.” I teased.  
He stared back up at me with conflicted eyes. He was obviously experiencing an internal war and I thought it best to let him work through it on his own.   
The next morning I woke with one of Stavo’s arms weighed down on my back. He snored softly. I maneuvered from under him without waking him to tiptoe to the shower. When I was fully dressed I saw that he still slept. He looked so peaceful and cute. I didn’t have the heart to wake him, especially after last night. He needed some good rest.   
But I did feel bad for just leaving him without an explanation so I went to my desk and wrote on my pink flowery stationary. I wrote, Going to be responsible today. Love, B  
I kissed the paper with burgundy lipstick, then placed it beside him.   
While I was in the shower I came to the conclusion that if I wanted Emma to forgive me then I needed to forgive myself enough to go talk to The Fitzgerald’s. And I don’t think Emma was ready to see me yet. Then I realized that even if my dad would let me drive my Range Rover it was at the station for forensics. And even then it had to go to a mechanic for the windshield. So here I was relying on yet another cop to transport me around.   
A cop I’d never seen sat in the living room with my dad when I descended the stairs. They turned at my presence.   
“Morning, sweetheart.”   
“Daddy,” I eyed the cop. He was on the younger side. He was on the hunky side, too.   
“This is Officer Weary. He’ll be your new escort. We thought it best for a change after what happened with Officer Loomis.”   
Weary rose to shake my hand. “Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Maddox.” He said in a sweet southern drawl.   
“I’m sure.” I looked to my dad. “Where’s mom?”  
He grinned. “I reached out to Sidney. She’s agreed to come up once a week to see how your mom is doing. They’re out at breakfast right now. Sidney asked about you.”   
Impressed and glad that he cared I ran to hug him. “Thank you. She was doing so well with Sidney.”   
He pulled away with hopeful eyes. “I know. What are you up to today? Maybe school perhaps?”   
I deadpanned. “You’re kidding, right?” I made a face. “I can’t show my face there. Everyone knows what happened with Maggie and I can’t deal with their stupid whispers and stares.”  
He sighed. “You know, you’re going to have to go back at some point.”   
My shoulders shrugged. “Not if I’m home schooled.”   
“Not a chance.”   
Well, one could only hope.   
I turned to Officer Weary. “Would you mind terribly driving me around today?” I put on a smile.   
He tipped his head. “Yes ma’am.”  
Where did they find this guy?   
My first stop consisted of going to the Fitzgerald’s.   
Their middle aged housekeeper let me in. Olga hugged me fiercely with tears in her eyes. “Oh, I’m so glad to see you, Ms. Maddox. How are you doing?”  
Taken aback, I wrapped my arms around her. “Um, I’m holding up. Thanks for the concern, Olga.” I pulled away even though she clearly didn’t want me to.   
The old me would’ve shoved her off of me in disgust, but that was pre-Stavo.   
“What about you?” I asked even though it was clear how she was.   
She wiped at her eyes. “I can’t walk past Jake’s room without bursting into tears.” She gave a sad smile. “I’m trying to stay strong for them, but I think they see through me.”   
Always the dramatic she was, but she had always been sweet to me. And she had been there for Jake when his parents were on their extended vacations. She was his Maggie.  
“But I know you’re not here to see me. Mrs. Fitzgerald is in the den. She’s going through old photo albums.”   
I nodded. “Thanks.”   
Weary stayed with Olga. “Ma’am.” He tipped his head at her.   
She offered him something to eat.  
I made my way to the den with impending doom sitting in my stomach. This screamed a recipe for disaster and more tears, but I had to toughen up. Mrs. Fitzgerald deserved better than what I’d given her.  
As to not scare her I knocked on the doorframe.   
She turned with tears brimming in her eyes. “Brooke?” She stood with a photo album in her hands.   
Damn. I was definitely going to cry.  
“Hi, Mrs. Fitzgerald.” I moved towards her. “I-um. I wanted to come see you and apologize for my drunken speech at the funeral yesterday.”   
Again, worst day ever.   
She sighed. “It’s okay.”  
“Sorry?” I asked because she did not just say what I did was okay.  
She sat back down and patted the spot beside her. One of her hands grabbed mine as I sat down. She had Jake’s eyes. “What you said was true. We haven’t been here lately, but you were right. No one wants to talk about the real problem. There’s something wrong with this town and until we acknowledge that we can’t move forward as individuals.”   
I really liked Mrs. Fitzgerald. She was shockingly knowledgeable about the world and unmaterialistic. The complete opposite of Mr. Fitzgerald and Jake.   
“What are you going to do about it?” I voiced.   
She looked down at a baby picture of Jake and rubbed the edges. “I’m going to make sure that not another parent feels this way again.”  
I wondered what she meant by that, but I was afraid to ask.   
“Look at this one,” She flipped back a few pages to point to a picture of Jake and I when we were like thirteen. I had braces and Jake had a buzzcut. I think we were on our way to our first party or our first something. Funnily enough, Jake was my first date. He reasoned that if he took me out first some asshole wouldn’t steal his chance and it wouldn’t be a terrible first date. And it wasn’t. We went bowling, had a fun time, and his dad picked us up before he could kiss me. I think that was the first time I realized that Jake liked me at all as more than a friend.   
I looked to his mom. “Would you mind if I made copies of some of these?”   
She looked touched. “Not at all, Brooke. But I was going to do that anyway just in case of a fire or something. You can never be too careful. I can get them to you by the end of the week.” She gave an excited grin.   
“Okay. Thanks so much.”  
We spent a good amount of time going through all of her photo albums, many of the pictures of Jake and I along with some Will, Riley, Tyler, Nina, and Emma sprinkled in when we went on yacht rides, weekend trips, and barbeques. I was happy to spend this time with Mrs. Fitzgerald. She was pretty well liked around town, but I didn’t think anyone knew how to comfort her properly. So I imagined that this was probably the most normal thing she’d done since coming back home for her son’s funeral. I would have to make it a point to stop by more often, that’s if they decided to stay in town.   
After Weary and I were back in his car I pulled my phone from my purse and messaged someone I hoped would become important to me.   
Me: Hey, it’s Brooke. I don’t know if you’ve already talked to your friends, but I officially don’t think it’s a great idea to come to town right now. There was another attack last night and someone I loved very much died. Stavo could’ve been one of those people. It would really break his heart if something happened to any of you. I’m sorry I shouldn’t have involved you in the first place.   
It was a few minutes before I got a text.  
Cage: Hey, it’s Cage. JK. Ur number’s saved in my phone btw. I’m sorry to hear that!! If u want to talk I’m a great listener :) Well, I’m glad my bro didn’t die. That would suck. To ease ur conscience I didn’t ask my friends yet so no worries on them. But u can’t get rid of me that easily. I’m so ready to visit. Didn’t Stavo tell u I can take care of myself?   
Me: Yeah, he did...but I don’t feel right about it. What if something happens to you because of me. Stavo will NEVER speak to me again.  
Cage: Wow, dramatic! Hahaha u underestimate how much he cares about u. Ur pretty much all he talks about...it’s kind of annoying tbh. I feel like Ik u pretty well. Anyways, my ass is coming to see him. And u ;)  
I snorted a laugh. He was persistent, I’ll give him that.   
Me: Alright, if you’re sure?   
Cage: Definitely.   
Me: We have to be very careful. I don’t want anybody knowing you’re coming. I’m going to tell Acosta so he can help us keep it a secret from Stavo. I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty excited for you to come!   
Cage: Me too ;)  
My lips pursed. I couldn’t tell if Cage was being really friend or overtly sexual. Was it worth bringing up? Probably not enough to make waves. I guess Cage was just a flirty dude. He did say Stavo talked about me a lot so I doubted Cage would totally shit on Stavo by flirting with me to get into my pants.   
With that figured out I turned to my new escorting officer. “Hey, Weary,” I gave a pleasant grin. “Can you take me to the precinct?”   
His blonde brow lifted in surprise. “You actually want to go there?” His voice laced with a thick southern accent.  
I nodded. “I have to talk official business with Acosta. It’s important.” I encouraged.   
“Alright,” He turned the car around and headed towards the precinct.   
After last time, I wasn’t really trying to get close to Officer Weary. He was beyond yummy and only a few years older than me, but I was now experiencing trust issues. I stupidly let myself trust Loomis, I had even started to think of him as like a distant uncle twice removed. But even if he wasn’t the killer, he still said some hurtful things to me.  
“You know, Loomis didn’t do any of this right?” Weary asked.  
My shoulders shrugged, but I stayed silent. I turned my gaze toward the window.  
“Come on, Brooke.” He glanced at me. “You spent time with the guy. You know him. He’s innocent.”   
“If he’s innocent, then he doesn’t have anything to worry about now does he.” I stated.   
He gave up after that.  
When we walked down the hall to Acosta’s office I barged in unannounced. Weary tried to pull me back, but I was too quick.   
Acosta looked at us in surprise.   
“I’m so sorry, sir.” Weary apologized like his life depended on it.   
Kiss ass.  
My arms folded across my chest as I shot him a look before going to sit in the same chair as the other times I’d been in this office. “We need to talk.”  
His eyebrows rose, then he gestured for me to start.  
I threw a look over my shoulder at Weary. “Privately.”   
He confirmed it with Acosta, then left.   
“Brooke, are you alright?” His deep scruffy voice asked.  
I hated that question. It was asked too frequently and it never was asked in intentions to hear the truth. People only wanted you to nod and say everything was okay. Things haven’t been okay for a while. The only person I seemed to be able to open up to about all that was Stavo. He was the reason I was here, looking at his dad, possibly about to get the mother of all yellings rained down on me.  
With a huff, I leaned my elbows on his desk. “Look, I want this to stay between us because I don’t want Stavo to freak out about it,” I paused to see if he could do even that. When he nodded I continued, “Stavo has been a really great friend to me throughout all of this. If he wasn’t here I don’t know what I would’ve done.” I gave a smile as my face reddened. “He’s helped through a lot of dark places and I care about him so much. I wanted to do something nice for him.”  
He nodded. “Great. Like what? I don’t think a party is the best idea though.”   
My eyes rolled. “God, no. I’ve already talked Cage into visiting. What do you think?”   
He all but twitched an eye. “Brooke,” He reasoned. “This is not a good idea given what’s been going on recently.”  
I nodded. “Believe me, I know. And I’ve thought about this over and over, but Cage still wants to come.”  
He sighed and slinked back into his chair. “This has worst idea ever written all over it.”  
Disappointment filled me. Being that I was overly emotional today tears came quickly as I started crying.   
“I know,” I sobbed. “I’m sorry.” I caught sight of a picture of Stavo behind him and cried harder. “I just wanted to do something to show him I care about him.”   
“No no no,” Acosta came around to sit on the edge of his desk. “Don’t cry.” He handed me tissues. “Stavo knows you care about him.”   
My head shook. “But not enough.” I sobbed louder.  
He sighed. “Okay, fine. I’ll help you bring Cage to town.”  
I peeped up at him. “You will?”   
“Yes. I will need to talk to Cage’s parents first and if they say yes then I’ll keep a private detail on all of you all.”   
I nodded. “Thank you.” I used the tissues to wipe my face off.  
“But if you’re going to do this then you have to face the possibility that Cage might not make it out of town alive. Is that something you’re willing to risk?”   
Uh, yeah. If Stavo was happy for like even five seconds I’d risk a lot. If Cage is attacked while he’s here then it’s on the police force for not catching this guy and for not protecting Cage properly. But I also knew Stavo would ultimately blame me if something happened to him. I just had to take that chance.  
“I can live with that.”   
“Are you positive?” He challenged.  
I sniffled and nodded. “To make Stavo happy? Yeah.”   
He leaned forward and patted my knee. “Stavo is lucky to have, too.”   
That brought on another bout of tears, but happy tears.  
“Wow, what did I do?” He asked desperately.   
The office opened and in walked Stavo.   
I quickly tried to compose myself so he didn’t notice I was crying, but it was too late.   
He looked into my eyes and turned his huffy gaze at his dad. “What the hell is going on here?”   
Acosta raised his hands in the air in surrender. “I don’t know what I did.”  
Stavo gave him a disbelieving look, came to squat down in front of me, then handed me a tissue. “What’s wrong?”   
Deja vu passed over me. I thought back to the day after we were first attacked and how we were pretty much in this same position when Maggie told us about the lipless body being found. My heart ached for Maggie.   
“I’m fine. We were just talking. It’s nothing.”   
Like the perceptive cop’s kid he was his eyes narrowed. “You’re not fine and it’s not nothing.” He insisted. “What’s wrong?”   
He was so perceptive he’d definitely know that I was lying so a half truth was the best way to go.   
“I just wanted to see an old friend and I thought it would be nice if they visited.” I shrugged. “Your dad advised against it.”  
His brow arched in disbelief. “That’s all?”   
My head nodded. “Mmhm.”   
He looked back at his dad while he stood.   
I stood to my feet. “Thank you for the talk.” I directed at Acosta. My eyes went to Stavo. “Come over later?”  
He nodded, but still had a suspecting gleam in his dark eyes.   
As I approached the door Acosta called out to me. “By the way, Loomis is being released.”   
I froze on the spot, then turned around. “What?”  
“It wasn’t his DNA in the custom. In fact, we couldn’t find any DNA besides Piper’s. Plus, he has an alibi.”  
I scoffed. “Well, what is it?”   
“Why don’t you ask him yourself.” He said in a fatherly way.   
My eyes rolled. “Like that’s going to happen.” I ducked through the door before anymore bad news could be broken to me.   
Weary waited like the good lap dog he seemed to be. “You about ready?”   
“Yeah, Charlie Brown.” I headed for the door.   
He followed. “What’d you call me?” He asked in amusement.  
“Nothing.”   
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Loomis being embraced by a woman who I assumed was his wife. He picked up his little girl with a fierce hug. When he saw me his smile faltered. He looked like he was wanted to head our way, but I snapped around and rushed out of the doors before he got the chance.   
I thought about going to Emma’s but there was no way she’d let me in. She screened all my calls so I doubted she’d answer, but I had to try. So I told Weary to go by there. There was no way she was at school right now. I don’t think she really blamed me, but she needed someone to hate for the time being to make dealing with this lost easier. Maybe hating me was the best she could do right now. I couldn’t say that if the situation were reversed that I wouldn’t feel the same in her shoes.   
With my police escort steps behind I knocked on Emma’s front door. I waited a few more moments before I knocked again only to have the door swing open mid knock.   
Kieran appeared. “Hey,” He closed the door behind him. “How you holding up?”  
I visibly sagged. “As best as I can.” I moved in for a hug. I thought back to when I thought Kieran was the killer and I found it preposterous. What would his motive be? Besides, he loved Emma and wouldn’t do anything to hurt her.   
He pulled away.  
“How is she?”   
He saddened. “Not great, but she’ll get through it.”   
I nodded. “Can I see her?” I moved for the door.  
He stopped me. “Uh, no offense, but I don’t think that’s the best idea right now.”   
“She hates me, doesn’t she?” I blinked back the beginning of another set of tears today.   
He let out a huff. “No. Look, she’s upset and she has a right to be. Blaming you is easier for her to do right now,” He mirrored my thoughts. “Give her some more time and she’ll realize it that it was an accident.”   
“Okay. But like how much time?”   
“About two more days. You should be safe from any bitchslaps then.”   
A wry grin came to my face. “Thanks.”   
He hugged me again before he went back inside.   
When I got home my mom wasn’t there. I guess she still was painting the town red with Sidney.   
“Hey, Weary. You hungry?” I asked as I headed to the kitchen.  
“Thank you, but I had a big breakfast.” He patted his flat stomach, no doubt covered in abs.   
“Don’t say I didn’t offer.” I called, then looked in the fridge.   
My heart fluttered when I spotted the bowl of saran wrapped oatmeal. Omg yasssss!   
I was about to snapchat the oatmeal to Emma when I realized she wouldn’t open it. This sucked! At least, I had Stavo’s oatmeal.   
This was still snapchat worth so I took a picture of it and wrote ‘When bae makes u the best oatmeal’. I threw in some heart eyed emojis, then posted it to my story.   
While I popped it in the microwave I got a snap from Audrey. It was a video of her and Noah.   
“We love you.” They said together.   
“We’re coming by after school.” Audrey said.   
An appreciatory smile filled my face. We all sort of left last night on a sour note. I mean, my friends made sure I knew they believed me and didn’t hold anything against me, but they were still there more for Emma than for me. Which I understood. I didn’t know how the next few days would play out. I worried that they wouldn’t be there for me. On the plus side, it seemed like they had worked things out between them.   
I sent a snap back saying thank you.   
When the oatmeal was done I devoured it. It was a little dry probably because I reheated it. Or perhaps because I just touched it. Okay, it was official. Only Stavo could make this oatmeal perfectly.   
After that I headed up to my room to lay down because my stomach was cramping up. All I hoped was that I never farted in front of Stavo again. Even though he laughed it off I was still embarrassed beyond belief.   
Midway through my nap someone jumped on my bed. I jolted awake in fear to find Noah and Audrey beside me. I relaxed. “You guys scared the shit out of me.”   
“That’s gross.” Noah grinned.   
Audrey laughed. “Why are you taking a nap? It’s like not even four. Get up.”   
I gave them both the stink eye. “I had a busy morning. You look like you both could use a nap.”   
They looked at each other and nodded.   
“Sure. Your bed is big enough for all of Lakewood.” Noah joked.   
When they moved for Stavo’s side of the bed I rolled over there quickly. “Woah, not there.”   
“Um, okay.” Audrey gave me a look. “Are you one of those weirdos about having to sleep on the right side of your bed?” She layed in the middle.  
Noah got in on the other side of her where I was. “No, I think that’s Stavo’s side.”   
My brow rose. “How did you know?”   
“Other than the fact that his iPad is on the table over there with a note from you on top of it?”   
Audrey laughed. “Oh, this is great. You two do not sleep in the same bed?”   
My silence confirmed her suspicious.   
“Are you guys having sex?”   
“Audrey,” Noah admonished.   
She looked at him. “What? I want to know.” She turned her curious eyes on me. “So?”   
“No,” I tried to hide my smile, but failed.   
Her hand touched my arm. “But you’ve done other things. Look at your face, you’re turning so red.”  
Noah cleared his throat. “Okay, I shouldn’t be here for this.” He started to climb out of the bed, but Audrey pulled him back. “Geez.”   
I grinned at them, happy that they were still acting like themselves. For a while there I thought it would be the end Naudrey. Looking at them now I couldn’t decide if they simply got back to be being friends and skipped the talk or if they decided it didn’t matter. Noah still had puppy dog eyes for her. And Audrey seemed a bit confused. Had she been lying about having feelings for him?   
“How was school today?” I asked.  
They shared a look.  
“I think everyone is still trying to act like this isn’t happening again.” Noah voiced. “To be honest, I don’t blame them. I can’t believe it myself.”  
Audrey grabbed his hand and laced her fingers through his.   
He gave her a grateful look.  
Did they hold hands before everything got weird? Hmm. I couldn’t remember.  
“Was Stavo there?”   
“Yeah, I don’t think he went to most of his classes though.” Noah said. “He was in the library most of the day.”  
I hadn’t seen him since the police station this morning. Even though I was the one that took a nap I started to worry. But my phone was all the way over on my desk and I didn’t feel like getting out of bed.   
“Have you guys been by to see Emma?”   
They shot me sorrowful looks and nodded.   
“I stopped by. It was a long shot, I know.” I sighed. “Kieran answered.” My eyes drifted to the ceiling. “He said to wait a few days.”   
Audrey grabbed my hand. “That’s all you can do right now. She knows you didn’t mean to.”   
My brow arched. “Does she?”   
Crickets filled the room.  
“Great. Thanks guys.” I said sarcastically.  
Audrey interlaced her fingers with mine in the same way she had with Noah’s.   
“Regardless if you meant to do it or not you still killed her one good parent, Brooke. Even if she wasn’t mad at you she still needs time to process.” Noah said.   
Very true.   
“I just wish I could go over there, you know. I lost Maggie, too.”   
“Yeah, but it’s not the same.” Noah intervened.   
A scoff left me. “Trust me, I know that. But Maggie had been there for me more than my own mom this past year. I’m hurting right now, too.”   
“That’s not what he meant,” Audrey defended.   
My eyes rolled. “Well, that’s what came out.” My voice rose.   
She huffed. “Maybe we should go.”   
Seriously? I needed them right now and they were going to bail? Well, fine.  
I ripped my hand away. “Maybe you should. Just don’t kiss Emma so you won’t confuse her, too.”   
She shot up with a scowl. “Wow, way to throwback to Queen Bitch Brooke.” She all but shoved Noah off the bed.   
Shit. I didn’t mean that.   
“Come on, Noah.” She stalked out of the door.  
Noah gave me a pointed look.   
My hand covered my face as I sat up.   
“Brooke?” He called.   
“Just go.” I dismissed irritably. When he didn’t leave I looked up.   
He had his hand on the doorknob. “You know, you don’t have to push us away. Just because Emma’s mad at you doesn’t mean we are.”   
I appreciated what he said, but it didn’t do much to help me with what just happened. Audrey was not the person to piss off and I had succeeded in isolating myself from all of my friends in a twenty four hour span. Go me.   
He left with that.   
Before I decided to go back to sleep I grabbed my phone from my desk. A few messages blew up my phone along with some twitter stuff that I wasn’t even going to entertain.   
Stavolicious: 12:19pm Haha  
Stavolicious: Did u like ur oatmeal? ;)  
Me: 3:55pm Haha  
Me: Ehh. It was okay. Whenever I cook things they taste like shit. Teach me ur ways?   
Stavolicious: Oh come on! I even mixed it together for u.  
Me: XD I’m hopeless.   
Stavolicious: I would help u out, but then I fear ull never leave me alone.   
I scoffed, then grinned.  
Me: Maybe...  
I checked my other messages from my dad and mom and messaged them back. Where was everyone today?  
A new message popped up on my screen.  
Unknown: Sticks and stone may break your bones, but pictures will never hurt you?? Download Attachment  
I opened the attachment only to have my heart sink. To make sure I saw this right I zoomed in. What the actual fuck? I looked at the picture for a few moments longer, then my eye twitched in anger. I flipped over on my bed to yell into my mattress as loud as I could. When that wasn’t satisfying anymore I changed into my workout gear.   
Weary was on the phone when I marched down the stairs. He looked at me expectantly.  
I shoved out of the door and made my way to the garage with my headphones in. Rock music blared loud enough to drown out his voice. For the first time I took a scoop of the pre-workout Drew suggested before I pulled my hair back into a tight ponytail. I quickly stretched my muscles because I feared I’d definitely pull something if I didn’t.  
Suddenly, my lips started to tingle, then they spread to my face, down my arms until they reached my lower body. I was wide awake. It was like I taken a shot of caffeine, which I guess was the purpose of pre-workout.   
Instead of pulling on the gloves I wrapped my hands with the tape. My body was super aware as I moved. To remind myself why I was out here I stared at the picture for another minute until my anger turned into rage, then shoved it into my arm phone case.   
With my fists held in the air like Audrey showed me, I circled the bag and punched to test it out. When I got my confidence my fists slammed into the bag with a new focused power I didn’t know I had. Normally, I stopped when I first got winded and kept pushing myself, but I even had energy as I was out of breath. I used my resentment to effectively hit the bag. I could see his stupid face and all I wanted to do was tear his eyes out! That asshole son of a fucking bitch!   
I could feel my knuckles burning from the friction of the wraps, but I didn’t stop because I couldn’t stop. Not just because of the picture, but a collection of death and torment that ruled over my life, and there was nothing I could do about it besides punch this stupid bag! This violence and outrage was still embedded deep within me, there was no getting it out. If I could cut into myself and yank it out then I would.   
A cry of rawness left me as I continued to strike blow after blow at the bag, but it just wouldn’t work. It wouldn’t take away my hatred. And believe me it was hatred. This was all I could do to let the hurt bleed out. If only it would bleed faster.  
Someone touched my shoulder and I reactively swung out until I hit flesh.   
Stavo stood in front of me wide wide eyes.   
I had hit his face.   
Good.   
My jaw clenched as I grimaced at him, then turned back to the bag. Fuck him. Just seeing his face refueled me. I did my worst, which I was aware wasn’t much, but it was enough to bring him behind the bag.   
He said something I couldn’t hear because of my ear damagingly loud music.   
I ignored him and went back to the bag only to have him rip out my headphones and grab ahold of my arms with his strong hands, giving me no choice but to interact with him.  
“What is wrong?” His eyes searched mine.  
I sneered, then tried to take my arms back, but he wouldn’t let me. “Let go.”   
“Brooke, what happened?” He demanded.  
Anger simmered over in me. “I said let go.” I twisted my hands loose to shove him away. I started for the door to find Weary watching us in concern.  
Stavo grabbed my hand. “Hey,”   
I snapped around and punched him square in the jaw.  
He looked completely stunned as he stared at me with a furrowed brow.   
I let out out a huff. “Don’t touch me. Ever again.”   
“What the hell, Brooke?” He followed me. “What did I do?”   
My hand reached for my phone and produced the picture the killer sent me. “This, you asshole.” I threw my phone at him, then marched past Weary.  
“You okay?” He asked.  
I ignored him as I headed for the house. The sky had darkened. How long had I been in there?   
“Let me explain.” Stavo raced after me, he grabbed my arm.  
I yanked it away. “Explain what?! That you were kissing Haley in the fucking library.” I pushed him back. “God, how could I think you were different than any other guy? I thought you were better, but you’re not better than Jake or Seth!”   
He looked taken aback, but hurt nonetheless, which is what I wanted. That’s how he made me feel when I got that picture.  
“That’s not what it looked like.”  
I gave him an incredulous look. “Really, Stavo?”  
He huffed. “Who even sent you that?”   
“Does it matter?”  
His brow lifted. “It’s from the killer, isn’t it?”   
“So what if it is? You still kissed her.”  
He stepped towards me. “I did not kiss her, Brooke! I swear.”   
My arms folded across my chest. “It’s pretty hard to misinterpret two people kissing.”   
“She kissed me! I shoved her away. That’s all that happened.” His eyes searched my face. “You don’t believe me?” When I didn’t say anything he gave a wry laugh. “Come on, Brooke. You know me. I would never do that to you. Especially with Haley of all people. Even if you didn’t get into a fight with her she still outed my family issues to the whole school. Why would I kiss her?” He questioned. “You see what he’s trying to do, don’t you? He’s trying to break us up, make it easier to single us out.”   
I took a minute to think about the likelihood of that and while it was high I was still pissed. “So you’re telling me Haley attacked you with her mouth in the library?”  
He nodded. “Uh, yeah!”   
“That bitch,” I pushed past him with a new target in mind.   
How dare she kiss my dude. What the hell could she have been thinking?! I beat her ass once before I could damn sure do again, especially now that I knew a few defense moves.  
“Woah,” Stavo pulled me back. “Where do you think you’re going?”  
I tried to move forward, but his hold was too strong. “Let go. I’m going to find her skanky brunette ass.” Venom dripped from my voice.  
His arms wrapped around me and picked me up in the air. “What the hell is wrong with you right now?”   
My legs kicked in the air. “She kissed you, Stavo. The one person I felt confident that would always chose me.” Angry tears pricked at my eyes. “You were supposed to stay with me.” My voice faltered.   
He set me down and turned me to look at him. He noticed the beginning of a break down and crushed me to him. “I chose you. Every time.”  
My composure cracked as I listened to his heart thump against my ear. Everyone was leaving me lately and I thought I lost him, too. Everything caved in on me. I hurt him because I didn’t want to. I hated him because I loved him.   
“Let’s get you inside.” He ushered us into my house and up the stairs. He went to start my shower, then came back and sat on my bed. “I’ll be here when you come out.”   
I tried to apologize, but nothing came out, so I rushed to the bathroom.   
Most of my shower was spent by sitting in the tub with the hot water beating down on me. I felt so raw and ashamed. Which was what the killer wanted. He wanted my life in shambles. And it was. It really was. How did I even go about apologizing to everyone that I screwed over today? I’m sorry I’m a bitch, please forgive me? Not good enough.   
My hand went to my stomach as an intense pain shot through it. A few minutes later red ran down the drain from under me.   
My brow arched. Ohhhhh.   
Well, that answered that.   
I quickly washed myself again, then jumped out of the shower. I found a pile of clothes on the granite countertop that Stavo obviously layed out for me.   
He was too good for me. I constantly took him for granted and treated him unfairly. He hadn’t done anything wrong. He never did anything wrong.   
I grabbed a tampon from underneath the sink and plunged it in. After I got dressed I realized that he had to have gone into my panty drawer to get my panties. So he definitely saw my dildo and vibrator. Oh, God.   
He sat on my bed with them both in his hands. He held them up at my presence with a restrained grin. “Wow.”   
“If you had a fleshlight I wouldn’t be waving it around.” I snatched them from him and stored them in their proper place underneath my undies.   
He laughed. “I don’t need a fleshlight.”   
I made a face. “Cocky much?”  
He arched a brow.   
I brushed my hair as I cracked a grin.   
Okay, I walked into that one. But he had successfully made me feel better. Again.  
“So,” He came to lean against the bathroom door. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on with you? You’ve been extra sensitive today.”   
Truly embarrassed, I reached for another tampon and handed it to him  
“Oh,” His lips pursed. He handed it back to me like it was a ticking time bomb. “You didn’t use that one, did you?”   
I cut my eye at him. “No.” I snatched it away.   
“How is this going to work?” He leaned against the counter and looked down at me.  
“How is what going to work?”   
He gestured to my sweatpants. “That. Are you going to punch me every time I piss you off?”  
I continued to brush my hair. “Oh, probably.”   
“Then maybe I should go after Haley after all.”   
I paused mid brush to glare at him. “Excuse me?”  
He burst into laughter. “I’m kidding. You’re really jealous when you’re on your period. It’s kind of hot.”   
“Don’t make me hit you with this brush. It’s hard.”  
He leaned forward on his elbow with his face close to mine. “You punched me. Twice. I’m allowed to joke about it.”  
My eyes went to the slight purplish undertone to his cheek and my heart broke. Tears clouded my eyes. “I’m so sorry.”   
“Wow,” He freaked out much like his dad did earlier. “Don’t freak out. It’s okay.”   
“It’s not okay.” My hand cupped his face, then crushed it to my chest. “I hit you. My poor baby.”   
He snickered. “I’m not a baby.”   
“You’re my baby.”   
“That better be code for bae.” He pulled away to stand up. “Am I your bae?” He smirked. “Come on, stop crying.”   
I tried.   
His hands went to my sides and sneak attacked me with an army of tickles. “Stop crying.”   
I swatted his arms away. “No, stop.”  
“I’ll stop when you stop crying.” He backed me into a corner.  
Dammit. I was extremely ticklish.   
“Stavo,” I warned. My hands tried to grab his, but he turned me around and pulled me to him, then continued to tickle torture me. Laughter bubbled out of me as I struggled free.  
“Are you still crying?” He asked in amusement as he held me.   
My head shook in surrender. “No.” My poor stomach hurt from laughing so hard.   
He tickled me some more. “You promise?”   
“Yes,”  
His mouth found my ear. “Okay, but if I let you go there’s no more crying tonight. Deal?”   
I nodded. “Deal.”   
It was a few seconds before he stood us up and let me go.   
My stomach ached from laughter, something I thought I wouldn’t feel for a while, but Stavo once again did the impossible. He made me so happy. I had to wonder what I did for him.   
I slumped against the counter and looked at him.   
“What?” He asked softly.  
My arms went around his neck. I just needed him to be close.  
“Thank you.” I muttered.  
He wrapped his arms around me.   
“I don't deserve you.” My voice was barely above a whisper.  
He stilled. “What did you say?” He pulled away with disbelieving eyes.  
“You heard me. “ I didn't back down.   
He looked a bit saddened. “Well, that's just not true.”  
I balked. “How is that not true? You've been nothing but great to me. I haven't deserved any of it.” My eyes fell to my hands. “I’ve been a terrible person.”  
His hands grabbed mine, then he sat us down on the bathroom floor. “I don't want you to take what I'm about to say the wrong way.”  
I nodded.  
“I feel like I'm supposed to fix you, like this is my penance. I've done a lot of wrong and I need to make up for it somehow.” His dark eyes urged mine to understand. “And I think you're going through all of this to make me a better person, to give me a purpose. Because I was nothing until you came into my life.” He gave me a reassuring gaze. “As pathetic as that sounds it's the truth. I was flying in the wind before you looked at me with those brown eyes.” He gave a soft grin. “I've never been happier to be stabbed...because it brought me closer to you.”  
“Stavo,” I sighed. “Don't say that.” That makes me feel bad.  
“What? You know as well as I do that you wouldn't have trusted me if I hadn't been stabbed in the back that day. You still would've thought I was a creep.”   
A laugh left me. “That's because you are.” I teased. “But I don't think it would've taken you getting stabbed for me to trust you. It might've taken longer, but you can't blame me. You were actually sufficiently creepy. But hot.”   
He grinned. “You thought I was hot when you first saw me?”  
My finger drummed on my chin. “Let me think about it. Yes.” I grabbed his chin between my thumb and forefinger, then pecked his lips with mine. “What did you think about me when you first saw me?”  
He made a sheepish face. “You know, I’d rather not say.” He started for the door.   
“Oh, no.” My hand pushed against his chest. “You don’t get off that easy. What did you think of me?” My eyes searched his.   
He turned a little red. “You know, I thought you were beautiful, but not the kind of girl I would’ve thought had any substance. And I’m glad I was wrong.”  
Again, I didn’t know if that was a compliment or not. But it wasn’t hard to guess what anyone would think of me. I kind of hoped Stavo saw past that, but how could he when he didn’t know me back then?   
“You’re not mad, are you?”   
My head shook. “About last night, do you want to talk about it?”  
He paled in complexion. “No, not really.”   
My brow rose. “Seriously? Why not?”   
His eyes averted mine. “Because it was private.”   
“Come on, I tell you everything. Hell, I just told you I was on my period. Why won’t you talk about this?”  
“I didn’t even want to talk about it with your mom, but we somehow had the conversation.” He all but rushed out of the bathroom door.   
I followed him down out of my room and down the stairs. “Please, talk to me.”   
“I just can’t, Brooke. I’m sorry.”   
Worry set in. “Where are you going? I don’t want to fight.”  
He looked over his shoulder at me. “We’re not fighting, I just want something to drink.”   
My mom sat on the living room couch watching some tv show while my dad worked on something in his office.   
Stavo went into the kitchen to cool off while I sat on the armrest by my mom.   
“Hi, sweetie.” She patted my knee. “How are you?”   
“Fine,” I sighed.   
She looked up at me with her motherly gaze. “What happened?”   
I peeped over my shoulder to make sure Stavo wasn’t nearby. “He won’t talk to me about last night.” I looked back at her. “What did you talk about?” I whispered.  
“That’s between you and Stavo. If he wants to tell you, then he’ll tell you.”  
I gave her a look. “Just tell me really quick.”  
“No.”  
“Come on,” I urged. “I won’t tell.”   
She raised her brow at me to signal I had better stop.  
Well, alrighty then.   
“How was your day with Sidney? Daddy was really excited she came up.”   
“She’s doing great.” She looked genuinely happy for the first time in a long time. “We spent all day talking and having fun. I really needed today.” She gave a smile. “She suggested some support groups. I think I’m going to do well, honey. Of course, I’ll have my ups and downs, but I think this will be easier than any of us thought.”   
“That’s great, mom.”  
Uneasiness filled my stomach. Sure, I was glad she had a positive spin on things, but her condition wasn’t something that could be controlled by positive vibes only. My worry was that she was underestimating it.  
Stavo returned from the kitchen with a bottle of juice and sat next to my mom. “Hey,”   
She looked over at him with friendly eyes. “Nice to see you again, Stavo. I hope we’ll be seeing a lot of each other what with you practically living here and all.” She joked.   
His dimples came out to play. “That’s the plan, Mrs. Maddox.”   
It warmed my heart to see them getting along.  
She waved him off. “Please, call me Monica.”   
He glanced at me, then back at her. “I don’t think your husband would like that very much.”   
“Oh, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”   
Gross.  
“Mom,” I chastised.   
She grinned up at me. “What? We’re only having fun. That’s what you wanted, right?”   
“Well, yeah. But you can’t jokingly flirt with him. He’s my boyfr-” I cut myself off with a faked cough. “Friend.”  
“I know he’s your friend, honey.”  
He tapped her on the shoulder. “Monica, she meant to say boyfriend.”   
“Did she now?” She looked back at me in amusement.   
“Nope,” I gave a laugh. “We’re just friends.” I clarified.   
Stavo’s eyes narrowed. He mimicked eating me out behind my mom’s back.   
I reddened. “Okay, maybe I lied.” I looked down at my mom. “We are more than friends. He’s my best friend.”  
She gave me a proud grin.   
Nervously, my eyes slid to his.   
He seemed content with that as he gazed at me.   
The doorbell rung.   
Officer Weary burst from my dad’s office. “I’ll get that for yall.” He spoke something into his walkie.  
Had he been there the whole time?   
He looked back at me. “We got a package for your, Ms. Maddox.”   
It was going on eight pm and I hadn’t ordered anything.   
Weary opened the door halfway and spoke to the other officer outside. He opened the door the rest of the way to reveal not a package, but a person.  
I stood.  
He smiled at me wide, his blue eyes scanned my body as he walked up. “Hey,”  
My heart stopped at the sight of him. “Drew?” 

 

A/N: The next chapter will be my thoughts on the finale so don’t be alarmed when you see it’s not a new chapter haha.   
Okay so an anon left a review saying my last chapter was unrealistic and while I can see their point they didn’t know that I had written the Emma shooting Stavo part as a dream because it wasn’t supposed to be revealed as a dream until this chapter. I wrote in the oral sex scene to prove a point and also I wanted to play with the sex equals death trope. 

 

“This chapter was really unrealistic tbh. Brooke just killed her best friend's mom and she's gonna fool around just a few hours later with Stavo? She would be devastated and depressed. Also Emma didn't react realistically to the news of her mom's death. She would've been hysterical but instead she was just rather calm but angry. And it's very out of character of her to get a gun and go on a rampage. Idk I don't think im going to follow this story anymore” - anon

 

The anon specified that Brooke fooling around with Stavo after Maggie’s death was unrealistic. Here’s the thing, how much do yall want to see Brooke be mopey? She’s been mopey forever in this fic and it’s time she learns how to cope with everything. Sure, she might not have been okay as fast in real life, but she’s closer to Stavo in this than the show and he was her way of being sane. Him being there for her, giving her some pleasure helped a lot. I could’ve made that clearer, but it’s also a thing to read between the lines, and it was expressed in his decision when he told her to lock the door. Also, keep in mind the time frame. The last two chapters were the same day as Jake’s funeral, so Brooke was already feeling like she’d do anything to get her mind off of that. 

Anyway, thanks for reading yall! :) Please leave a review/comment


	15. Yours

The song for this chapter is Ella Henderson - Yours (a must to listen to cuz this song is everything) 

 

“Drew?” I couldn’t believe he stood before me. “What are you doing here?” My excitement rose.   
He stepped closer. “I heard about what happened and wanted to check on you.” He said it so simply.  
A grin took over my face. “You came all the way here to check on me?”   
“I was worried about you. Thought I’d come see for myself.” He cracked a grin.  
I all but ran into his arms. “Oh my God, it’s so good to see you.”   
He hugged me and picked me up a little. “Yeah,” He put me down.   
“Thank you for coming.” I smiled. “It means a lot.”   
Someone cleared their throat.   
My eyes went to my mom. “Oh. Mom this is Drew. We met a few weeks back. He helped me through a really dark time.”   
He moved to shake her hand. “Drew Becker.”  
“Mom.” My mom joked. “But you can call me Monica.”   
Stavo stood with his arms folded across his chest.   
I cracked a grin at him. “And this is Stavo. He’s my...”  
Drew held a hand out, but Stavo didn’t take it. “Are you the boyfriend?” He grinned.  
I noticed Stavo’s clenched jaw and low lidded eyes. His whole stance screamed protective, but he had no reason to be. Drew was a cool dude.  
I shot him a pointed look, then cleared my throat. “No, he’s my dude friend.” I realized that once I said it around anyone other than my friends how stupid that sounded. I gave a sheepish look.  
Drew laughed. “Okay then.”  
“Yeah.” Stavo said in a clipped tone as he glared at Drew with a raised brow.  
Awkward tension filled the air.  
My mom rose. “How about you tell me a little bit about yourself over some coffee, Drew? In the kitchen.” She grinned, but it was obvious it was for his benefit.  
“That sounds awesome.” He followed her with a nervous glance my way.   
I shrugged, then turned back to Stavo. “What’s your problem?” I asked once they were in the kitchen.  
“Nothing.” He kept his eyes trained on the kitchen.  
A sigh left me as I walked into his line of vision with my hands propped on my hips. “Are you like jealous?” I whispered. “Of Drew?”   
He looked down at me with intense eyes. “Of that guy?” He waved it off. “No, of course not. Why would I be jealous?”  
“Well, now that that’s settled.” I brought my hands together excitedly. “Why don’t you go introduce yourself properly?”   
He grunted.   
My brow arched. “Stavo?”   
He walked past me and into the kitchen.  
I briskly followed behind to find my mom laughing at something Drew said as she placed the coffee grounds into the filter.   
“What’s so funny?” Stavo asked, a little too harshly.  
I cut him a look.   
Drew looked at him with kind eyes. “I was just telling Monica about how...” He trailed off at the look Stavo gave him. He cleared his throat.   
“How about you I start dinner? Yeah?” My mom gave me a stiff smile, then looked in Stavo’s direction.   
Drew went to the sink to wash his hands. “I can help. I used to help my mom cook a lot growing up.”  
The awkward tension that took over the house only grew stronger as my dad came home and we all ate dinner with light chatter. Well, light for Stavo considering he only said about five words. Drew got on fabulously with my parents. I hadn’t heard them laugh together as much in a long time. It felt a little weird that it was Drew that made them do that instead of Stavo.  
After dessert my my mom looked at my dad, then back at Drew. “It’s getting pretty late. Why don’t you stay the night?”  
Drew blushed. “Oh, that’s okay. I really only came to see how Brooke was doing.” He grinned at me.  
“We appreciate that,” My dad stated. “Honestly, it’s no trouble at all if you’d like to stay the night.”  
My mom cleared her throat, then leaned forward. “Actually, I just thought of the most brilliant idea,” She smiled excitedly. “You said you want to teach people martial arts. Why don’t you stay here for a while and teach Brooke?” She confirmed eye contact with my dad.   
“Woah,” I interrupted. “Drew just can’t uproot his life in...” Where was he from? “Back home. He has plans. He’s trying to save up to buy a location for his MMA gym. We can’t just keep him here.”   
“Exactly.” Stavo chimed in.   
My dad looked at Drew. “We’d pay you whatever else you need to start your business, plus expenses.”  
He looked beyond shocked. “Uh, I don’t know what to say. I mean, I don’t want you to think that’s why I came here.”   
“No, of course not. Brooke trusts you. You inspired her to hit that punching bag every day.” My dad said proudly. “We would feel more comfortable with you around and teaching her how to protect herself than with any of these cops. You don’t have to answer now. How about you sleep on it?”   
I noticed Stavo’s rock hard jaw. Even I knew what my parents said was a slap in the face. An unintentional slap in the face, but still a slap in the face nonetheless. They had basically said Stavo wasn’t good enough to protect me. Not that I needed a man to protect me, but I could tell he needed to believe he could to feel like a man or whatever.   
Drew looked at me to see if I had any protests and when I didn’t he nodded. “Okay, sure. Thanks, Mr. and Mrs. Maddox. That’s beyond generous.”   
They waved him off with charmed grins.   
“Where is he sleeping?” Stavo demanded.   
“He’ll sleep in the guesthouse.” My dad answered.   
“Great.” Stavo seemed satisfied.  
I shot him a look. “No, that’s where mom was taken from.”  
“Well, we have a higher security detail on the house now.” My dad insisted.  
“Daddy,” I complained.   
He held a hand up. “Fine, you can sleep in the guest room.”  
That meant my mom was back in their room. Gross. Were they ready for that move? I mean, I didn’t want to push them in that direction if they weren’t meant to go there, but I also didn’t want Drew dead because of piss poor sleeping arrangements.   
“I don’t know what to say.” Drew gave a modest smile. “Thank you so much.”  
My mom waved him off. “Honestly, it’s no bother at all.” She beamed.   
Stavo gave a forced smile, then left the room.   
I arched my brow at my parents.   
“What?” They asked simultaneously.   
I gave them a disappointed look. “You know what you did.” I pointed between the two of them. “Both of you. You know he’s sensitive.” I gave Drew a hug, then ran up the stairs after Stavo.  
When I got to my room I found him on the bed. He looked up at me with faraway eyes.   
“Hey,” I sat next to him. “How you doing?”   
“Great,” He lacked enthusiasm.   
My hand slid to his. “So are you cool?”  
He nodded. “Yup.” He rose to take off his shoes and jeans, then his shirt.   
I got so distracted I missed the point. It wasn’t until he climbed into bed that I snapped out of it. Oh, right.  
“You are so not cool about this.” I argued as I slid into bed next to him, then turned off my bedside lamp.   
“I’m so cool right now it’s not even funny.” He turned off his bedside lamp.   
My eyes rolled. “Ha ha.” I said dramatically.  
He cut his eyes at me.  
“Look at it this way, Drew will protect us both.” I defended. “And he didn’t look like he was ready to take the job, so maybe he won’t.” My hand rubbed up and down his arm. “You don’t have to worry about him.”   
He let out a sigh. “I’m sorry. I’m being an ass.”   
I nodded. “Yeah, a little.” A grin sprouted on my face. “But it’s kind of cute to see you all jealous. I promise I won’t intentionally flirt with him to get a rise out of you. Unless you’re being an ass.”  
He cracked a tiny grin. “Okay, I deserve that.” He rolled onto his with his back facing me. “Can you just hold me? I’m feeling a little fragile right now.” He said seriously, but I could tell he was joking.  
Either way, I wrapped my arms around him. “Is that better?”   
“So much better.”   
We drifted off to sleep.   
The next morning I was woken by something touching my face.  
I swatted it away. “Hmm.” I groaned.  
A warm chuckle filled my ears. “I'm heading to school.”   
“Huh?” I rolled over onto my back, my eyes opened to find Stavo hovered over the bed with an amused grin. “You're leaving?”   
He nodded. “One of us has to get an education.” He joked.  
My hand rubbed at my eyes. “But you're super smart. Stay here with me.”  
“Oh, I wish I could, but my dad would kill me if I missed anymore school. No more screw ups, remember?”  
A thought occurred to me. “Wait, are you on thin ice with him because of me?”  
He sat down on the edge of the bed. “Why would you think that?”  
I rolled over on my side again. “You've been over here a lot, you spend all your free time with me who always ends up in trouble. Is he like mad at you? Cuz I'll go talk to him myself.” I started to rise, but he rested a hand on my shoulder.  
“No. It's nothing like that. He's worried about me is all. We barely see each other as it is. He's so determined to find the killer he's hardly at the station.”  
“Maybe you should start sleeping at your house again? At least you’d see him.”  
He shook his head. “Not really. Besides, I prefer sleeping next to you.”  
I smiled. “I could sleep at your place.”  
He arched a brow at me. “In my twin bed?”  
My lips pursed. “We can make it work. Or I can just buy you a California King.”  
“Absolutely not. I’d feel like a prostitute.” His eyes narrowed. “Was this your plan all along? Make me obsessively clingy so that I sleep by you every night, only to offer to buy me a bigger bed so you can seduce me on it?”   
I nodded. “Guilty af.”   
He gave me his dimpled grin. “Thanks for the offer Mommy Warbucks, but I even if you bought me a bigger bed we still wouldn’t sleep there.”  
“How come?”  
He gave me a look. “Because you hate my house.”  
My mouth dropped open. “I do not hate your house.” When he gave me a knowing look, I said, “Okay, fine. I hate your house, but not because you're poor. It just gives me the creeps. That was where all of this started. It’s where I thought you were the killer, where you were stabbed, and where we almost died. Can you blame me?”   
“No,” He patted my hand. “That’s why I never ask you to come over.”  
I pouted. “Now I feel bad.”  
“Don’t feel bad.” He squeezed my knee. “Do you want me to pick up your homework for the rest of the week? I doubt you’re going to make it Thursday and Friday.”   
“You don’t have to.” I dismissed.  
“It’s not a problem. I don’t want you to get too far behind.”   
I smirked. “Yes, daddy.”   
He cocked an eyebrow up. “What was that?”  
“Just go to school, I’ll be here when you get back. Then you can tutor me and we can binge on PLL. Sound good to you?”   
“Absolutely.” He kissed my forehead. “Be careful around that Drew guy though.” He stood and gathered his backpack. “Call me if he does anything sketch.”  
I sighed. “And you’ll what? Race over to challenge him to a duel?”   
He scoffed. “No, I’m going to beat his ass.”   
I gave him a doubtful look. “Okay,” My tone laced with disbelief.  
He chuckled. “Cage taught me some moves. I haven’t been able to use them yet, but if he crosses a line then it’s his ass.” He promised.   
I nodded to make him feel better, then followed him down the stairs. “Don’t forget to grab something for breakfast.”  
He headed for the kitchen. “On it.”   
“Oh, and you might want to bring some of your clothes over here. I can make room for you in my closet.”   
“Are you sure you can fit a few of my jeans and shirts in your enormous walk-in closet?” Sarcasm laced his voice. He reached into the fridge and grabbed an apple, then bit into it.   
It was kind of hot.  
“If you’re trying to move me in one article of clothing at a time I’m into it.”   
My dad rounded the corner. “Good morning, honey,” He kissed my forehead, then looked at Stavo. “Son.” He glanced at his watch. “Do you want a ride to school?” He asked Stavo.   
He nodded. “Thanks, Mr. Maddox.”  
My dad waved him off. “Stavo, you know you can call me Quinn. Or dad in law.”   
My eyes widened. “Daddy,” My face reddened.   
Stavo laughed. “I’ll stick with Quinn, sir.” He looked at me. “For now.” He teased.  
My eyes rolled as I started to make myself a bowl of cereal.   
Like the Godsend he was, Stavo put back my cereal then proceeded to make his oatmeal for me. He caught me staring at him and nudged my hip with his.   
I beamed up at him. “Thanks.”   
“No problem.” He gazed at me.  
I loved this feeling that I had with him, that despite everything terrible that happened around us we still had each other, and that made it all worth it.  
When I caught my dad watching us I blushed as red as my gel nails.   
Stavo handed over the oatmeal, letting our fingers brush. “You make sure to text me the minute you don’t feel safe with that guy, okay?”  
I nodded, refrained from smiling.   
“Promise me.”   
“I promise, geez.” I turned him towards the door. “Now go to school. If I find another picture of Hayley anywhere near you I’ll cut you into tiny pieces and send them to Cage.”  
He held a finger up. “That’s cruel.”  
My dad seemed amused by us. “Just wait until you’re married.”   
Oh boy. I know that’s not what my dad meant-Stavo and I getting married-but by the frozen expression had on his face I could tell he did. He looked pretty terrified. Was the thought of marrying me really so bad? I was a delight to be around.  
When dinner rolled around we ate as a family, one big dysfunctional family. Really, was there any other kind?   
The whole time Stavo had his arm draped over my chair. He kept leaning close to whisper things into my ear. They were funny so I had to laugh, but tension still sat with us in the room, which was irritating.  
When we got into bed I stayed on my side.   
“What’s wrong?” He asked as he slid in next to me.  
“You might as well pee on me.”  
He looked turned off. “Huh?”  
I rolled my eyes. “At dinner. You were all over me. Clingy much.”  
He scoffed. “Well, if he’d stop staring at you every five seconds I wouldn’t have to remind him that you’re not his, but mine.”  
“Alright, Caveman. I’ll be sure to call Geico in the morning to let them know you escaped their set.”  
All I could think was we are acting like a bitter old married couple. Well, Stavo was the bitter one here. That brought a smile to my face.   
“What are you grinning about over there?” He asked.   
I shook my head. “Nothing. You won’t find it funny.”   
He looked at me. “Try me.”  
Alright, it was his fault if this got even weirder.   
I turned on my side, my arm layed across his chest as I looked up at him. “We’re so married af.”  
To my surprise his hardened demeanor softened. “Yeah, we kind of are.”   
Earlier he seemed put off by the idea when my dad alluded to it, but now he was okay with it?   
“You’re not freaking out right now. I just joked about us being in the ultimate commitment and you’re cool as a cucumber.” I wanted to smile, but thought it would definitely freak him out. “Why aren’t you freaking out?”  
His left hand rested on top of mine. “I figured if we both survive this and we stick close to each other into our mid twenties we’d end up together anyway.”   
I pulled my hand away. “That’s so romantic.” I turned my back to him with a huff.   
“Hey,” He snuggled up behind me, his stronger arm pulled me closer to his body. “Don’t be like that.”  
“Like what?” I blinked away the beginning of tears. This period thing wasn’t fair. It made me into a wimp. “You basically said if we’re still around each other then that’s good enough a reason to get married. Husband of the year award.” My free hand wiped at my eyes.   
He flipped me around so that I faced him. His understanding dark eyes gazed at me. “I hate it when you cry because of me. And I didn’t mean it like that. What I should’ve said was if we can get through this rough patch in our lives and move forward together in like college and stuff then I could very easily picture us married. It’s not some terrible event all guys dread. We look forward to that day just like girls do. Maybe not as much.” He grinned.   
My hand went to my chest. “You want to marry me?”  
He snorted a laugh. “Maybe.”  
“You promise?”   
“If there’s no one else in my life.”  
I punched him in the chest. “You ass.”  
He chuckled. “I’m kidding. I doubt anyone else could make me feel what you make me feel. Ever.”   
I burst into happy tears.   
“I’ll be right back.” He jumped out of bed.   
For like a minute I thought he wasn’t coming back and I had scared him off with my PMS on top of my mountain of other issues. When he returned I all but sighed in relief.   
He turned on the bedside lamps, then handed me a carton of Ben & Jerry's.   
We rarely had ice cream in the house and my mind played back to all those weeks ago when he first came to my house. He brought Ben & Jerry's, but we had never eaten it.  
“I’ve been saving this for a special occasion.” He opened up my laptop, logged in because he knew my password, and went to Netflix. “It’s PLL time.” He looked at me. “Why are you still crying? Do you want me to tickle you again?”  
I moved away from him a little. “No!” I took a spoonful of the Rocky Road. “I just remember when you first came here with this.” I held the pint into the air. “It was like you knew we were going to end up here.”   
“I hoped.” He gestured for a spoonful of the ice cream. “So did you have fun with Drew today?”  
As we spoke Drew was downstairs doing something to unintentionally get under Stavo’s skin. I found it funny.   
“Not really. He drove back home to get his things. My dad’s lawyer is working on a contract for him. He got back only a few minutes before you did.” I eyed him. “I like him, he’s been pretty integral in all of this.”   
“No.” He said.  
My forehead creased as I sat up. “No?”   
He gave me a look. “No,” He tore his hand away and stood. “I don’t like the guy.”   
I rose. “Okay. Tell me why.”  
“Because he came out of nowhere, which is suspicious as hell. He sucks up to your parents and practically begged to stay to be close to you.” He folded his broad arms across his chest. “Nope. Don’t like him.”  
I went to his side, my hand rested on his forearm. “Literally none of that happened.” An amused grin found my face. “You’re jealous of him.”   
He scoffed. “What do I have to be jealous of?”   
My eyes caught his. “You know what I think?”  
He shook his head.  
“I think it’s not just because of me, but because of my parents. You’re jealous because they like him a lot. And you’re worried they’ve forgotten about you.”   
His expression softened, but he looked away. “Why would I be worried about that?”  
My hand cupped his face so he’d look at me. “Because you’ve made a spot for yourself in my family. And you don’t want to lose that.”  
Finally, I got something out of him.   
He gave a wry grin. “They like him a lot. Your mom liked him right off the bat. Your dad respected him immediately. They trust him more with your life than they do me, Brooke. How am I supposed to feel about that?” His eyes shined bright with sadness.   
I offered a look of understanding. “Stavo,” I sighed. “All I can say is that my parents are scared for me. Drew literally is the best option I have at surviving right now. It’s not because he’s some macho guy, it’s because he knows how to fight. And my parents love you. They offered for Drew to stay, but in any other circumstance my dad would kill him if he caught him here. My dad knows you sleep in my bed with me, but has he killed you yet?” I grinned. “Has he kicked you out or threatened your life?”   
He shook his head.   
“Has my mom had a heart to heart with Drew about his parental issues?”   
He shook his head again.   
“And have I told Drew I loved him?”  
His forehead creased. “You better not have.”   
I smiled. “I didn’t because I don’t. I love you, Stavo.” I gestured behind us to the guest room. “Not him. He’s not the person I want to-” I stopped myself before I said ‘Make love’ because I thought it was too much too soon.   
“Want to what?” He asked.  
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “The person I want to fight for. If you die I will literally go out of my freaking mind. I don’t think I would want to live in a world without you in it.”   
He gave me a sympathetic look. “Don’t say that.”  
“So if I die you’d be okay?” I questioned.  
His eyes searched mine until he shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t be.” 

 

Besides the ever present omniscient force that plagued our lives we hadn’t heard much from the Brandon James wannabe. A week had passed by of morning and evening practices with Drew, of my mom being teetering on maniac, of my dad doing his best to be there for her yet give her the space she needed, and of me like I made real progress, but still wasn’t good enough. Of Stavo being distant yet clingy.  
“Do you think my being here will do more harm than good, Brooke?” He asked.  
I paused and looked at him. “No, not really. Why would you say that?”   
He gave me a knowing look. “I don’t want to mess up your thing with Stavo by any means. I can tell he’s very jealous of me for some reason. I think he believes I want to be with you.” He gave a soft chuckle. “Which isn’t the case.” He gestured to me. “You know that, right?”   
I nodded. “Totally. I’ve told him that. I don’t know why he’s so threatened by you. He’s never been jealous before. By all accounts he should be more threatened by Jake.”   
He scratched at his scruffy chin. “Jake’s not here, I am.” His eyes turned soft. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to-”  
I held a hand up to dismiss him.   
“On a scale of one out of ten how much do you think you’ve improved since I’ve been here?” He handed me a water bottle from the mini fridge.  
I chugged it down with necessity, then wiped my arm across my mouth. “About a six.”   
His brow arched. “That’s it?”   
“It’s not like I’m Mohamad Ali or something. I just sort of started all of this. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t think I could do any real amount of damage if I had to. I could barely kick Emma’s ass if need be.” I exaggerated.   
He rolled his eyes. “You can totally kick Emma’s ass. Now Audrey’s? Probably not. She’s a little spitfire.”   
My brow arched. “Then maybe she should be the one teaching me.” I grinned playfully.  
He cracked a smile. “Maybe she should. If it makes you feel any better you could definitely put Stavo on his ass, which isn’t necessarily a good thing now that I think about it.”   
I felt a crinkle in my forehead. “Why not? Have you seen Stavo? He’s huge.”  
“I wasn’t talking about physically, but emotionally. Stavo couldn’t hurt you even if he wanted to. He loves you too damn much.” He smirked. “It’s cute in a teeny bopper way.” He teased lightly.  
I stuck my tongue out at him. “He’s not. We’re just really in like with each other.”  
A laugh bubbled out of him. “In like?” He threw the medicine ball at me.   
I nodded as I caught it. “Yeah, it’s a thing.” I threw it back.   
He chuckled while his strong hands clasped around the ball. “There’s no such thing as being in extreme like with someone. Either you like them, love them, or are in love with them. You like and love Stavo, therefore you’re in love with him.”   
A scoff left me. “We’ve known each other barely over a month.”   
“So?” He shrugged. “Sometimes it just happens and you have no control over it. It’s not like you both don’t know you love each other, that you both wouldn’t die for each other, that you both wouldn’t do anything to protect one another. So what’s the big deal? Just say it and move on.”  
“The big deal is that you don’t know what you’re talking about.” I shoved the ball at his chest. “He can’t love me in that way.”  
“Why not?” He held onto the ball.  
I sighed. “He’s broken.”   
“What?”  
Shit.  
“Forget it.” I rose to my feet. “I’m done for the day.”   
“Brooke?” He called.  
I turned to him. “Look, I didn’t mean to say anything. Please, don’t mention it to Stavo.”  
He didn’t look like he was inclined to agree to that.   
“Drew, this is his business. I can’t tell you about it. He already doesn’t like you.”  
He nodded. “I noticed.”  
I gestured behind me. “I’ve got some school work to take care of. See you for dinner.”   
After a shower I started in on my school work. My teachers graciously assigned me work for the next two weeks. Everyone was pretty understanding about my situation. At the same time I didn’t want them to be. I didn’t want them to give me special treatment because I was rich and the Mayor’s daughter. It would be different if they gave me special treatment because I was pretty, that I’d be okay with. Kind of. Mainly, I didn’t want to feel like I had it easier because I was privileged, but I did.  
So I worked on my studies while I waited for my mom to get back from her group therapy session. She liked to call it a group enlightenment gathering. Those seemed to be the biggest thing to keep her from falling into the depressive stage so far. But my dad and I weren’t naive. We knew she’d crash and burn irregularly for a long time, maybe even the rest of her life if we could all make this work.   
There was a knock on my door. “Hey, can we talk?”   
I looked up to see Emma in my doorway with a shopping bag. I sat up and nodded.  
She sat on the edge of my bed with a good distance between us. She looked better than the last time I’d seen her. Had a week been long enough for her to forgive me? Part of me wondered if she’d make my nightmare a reality, but she was here so I figured she wanted to make amends even though it wasn’t her job to do so.   
“Look, I’m sorry.” She let out a shaky breath. “For how I reacted, for how I treated you the last week. I just needed to let this all breath.”   
My head nodded. I felt my throat close up, which was a tell-tale sign of emotions brewing.   
“At the funeral, I shouldn’t have smacked you in front of everyone...” Her green eyes watered. “I hadn’t known that you and my mom had been so close. She left you some things in her will.”   
My heart faltered in my chest. “She did?” I croaked out.  
She held up the black bag. “This is everything.” She handed it over and rose.  
“You’re leaving?”   
“Kieran’s waiting on me.” She headed for the door.   
I shot up. “Em?”   
She turned back around, but didn’t look at me. “I’m sorry, Brooke. This is the best I can do right now. Give me a little more time.”  
What could I do besides give her what she asked for?   
“I’m sor-”  
“Don’t,” She held her hand up. “Don’t say it. I know you’re sorry, I don’t need to hear it anymore. I believe you.” She bit into her bottom lip. “I’m going to go.” Her hand patted my doorframe as she made herself scarce.  
With a huff I sat back down with the intent of going through the bag of items Maggie wanted me to have, but the longer I looked at the bag the more I talked myself out of it. So I decided to put the bag in safe space on one of the many shelves in my walk-in closet.   
A few more days passed of the same. Training. School work. More training. Stavo disliking Drew. Us being on rocky territory. Still it was better than finding another dead body.   
Stavo had been extremely distant the past two days, he hadn’t been very forthcoming with why either. I made my way to his house with a copy of a key he gave me. It was only fair after I gave him a copy of mine.   
Unease creeped up on me as I ascended the stairs of doom. I took an abnormally large leap over the once bloodied spot where I thought his dead body to be those few short weeks ago.  
I knocked on his door, but didn’t get a response. He probably couldn’t hear me over the obnoxiously loud music from the other side. So I pushed the door open to his normally clean room to find it with clothes littered all over the place. I noticed the bathroom door was ajar, the yellow light slipped through the crack along with steam.   
I was about to let him know I was here when I tripped over a duffel bag on the floor, but I caught myself. A complaint was on the tip of my tongue before I noticed a piece of paper sticking from out of the bag. I bent down to look at it and noticed it wasn’t just a piece of paper, but a bus ticket. To Virginia. For tonight.  
All the air left me as I stumbled back.   
He wanted to leave. He wasn’t going to tell me. Just like that. How could he?  
The shower cut off. Instead of confronting him about this I hightailed it out of his room and down the steps.  
“Brooke,”   
I turned to see Miguel poking his head around the corner from the living room. “Hey,”   
“What happened?” He came to my side.   
My shoulders shrugged. “Nothing.”   
“You have that look. I know that look. Something happened with Stavo?” He raised a fatherly brow.   
My eyes slid to the stairs, then I shook my head. “No, nothing at all.” I headed for the door. “Do me a favor and don’t tell him I stopped by?”  
His forehead creased together, but he nodded regardless. “Sure.”  
I gave an appreciative nod. “Thanks.”   
When I got home all I wanted to do was soak in a nice, hot, oily bubble bath. But that was too much to ask. Apparently group therapy didn’t go great for my mom and the whole house had to know about it as she yelled at my dad and the escorting officers.   
Officer Weary gave me a dismissing nod that suggested I make my way up to my room, which I was totally fine with. I wanted to be there for my mom through her highs and lows, but not tonight. If I was losing Stavo then I needed to be alone for a while. Or I’d blow up alongside my mom.   
After my semi relaxing bubble bath I slipped on a black satin nightie, then slid into bed. My eyes drifted shut only for a few seconds until there was a knock at my window door.   
I sighed, then peeled back the covers to go look outside. I opened it, then folded my arms across my chest as I gave him an expectant look.   
He sighed. “I know you know about the ticket, Brooke.”   
“That’s all you have to say to me?”  
He pushed into my room and locked the door behind him. “Why didn’t you tell me you were in my room? Why did you leave without asking me about it first?” His eyes raked over me in amazement, then looked back into my eyes.   
“I was in shock, Stavo. You’re lucky I didn’t run into the bathroom and start slapping you around.” I thought about it. “But you’d like that so...” I sat on my bed.  
A sigh left him, then he sat by me. “Look, I was going to tell you. I just didn’t know how.”  
I shot him a glare. “How about, ‘Hey, Brooke. I’m going to Virginia fyi so you don’t think I’m dead because I know you like me and stuff’?”  
He grinned. “What’s ‘and stuff’?”   
A sliver of fear ran through me. What a way to ruin something before it even started by moving too fast and scaring the other person off. But he wasn’t the only one that was scared.  
“Eat a dick.” Normally when I said it I was joking, but not this time.  
His grin fell.   
“You were going to leave me.”  
“It’s not like I wasn’t going to stop by before I left.” He defended.  
I gave him a knowing look. “You’re lying.” I turned my whole body to him. “Want to know how I know? Because If it were me I couldn’t say goodbye to you because I couldn’t make myself leave. You came here because your dad told you I was there. You came because you feel guilty.”   
“That’s not it.”   
My brow lifted. “Isn’t it?”  
“No,” He rose with a clenched jaw. “You know, all I’ve done the past week was sit back and watch you train with Drew. I’ve watched you laugh and smile with him. I’ve watched your parents trust him with you more every day, more than they do with me. I’ve watched your friends accept him. I’ve watched you forget me a little more each day and I just need a break from it.”  
I stood. “Are you seriously so insecure that you think I still want Drew over you?” I poked at his firm chest. “What is with guys and their need to be the alpha male and to claim a woman as only theirs like she’s property?”   
He gazed down at me with hard eyes. “Because I don’t want to lose you, too. And I don’t want some Branson runner up to steal you away from me. It would be so easy because you’re not really mine. And that scares me, Brooke.”   
I mentally kicked myself for not seeing it before.   
My hands grabbed his. “I am yours.” My eyes searched his. “I’m not going anywhere. I don’t want anyone else. I want you, Stavo. I’ve wanted you ever since you kissed me at the theater, even if I didn’t want to admit it to myself. And I know you’ve wanted me just as long. But it’s you that keeps pushing me away.” I swallowed the fear that almost choked me, then asked, “Look, I know we each have our own problems and we need to heal from those, but why can’t we just be together? You’re the most important person in my life right now. I think about you all the time, even when I’m with you. You’re there for me whenever or however I need you. I love you...I think I’m falling in lo-”  
He pulled away. “You know, my bus leaves in a few minutes.” He turned his back to me while he gripped the doorknob. “I have to leave now if I want to make it.”   
Unshed tears pricked at my eyes.   
He wouldn’t let me finish. He didn’t want me to even say it. Because he didn’t feel the same way. He cut me off before I could humiliate myself.   
“How-how long are you going to be gone for?” My voice whispered.  
He glanced back at me. “I’m not sure.” He stepped toward me, then hesitated before he said goodbye and left. 

 

I sat in the lobby of Grind House with the gang, but my mind was elsewhere while Noah rehashed his date with Zoe. Their laughter faded in and out around me as I thought about the missing piece in my life.   
“Brooke?”   
I looked up to see everyone had stopped enjoying themselves to make sure I was okay. The last thing I wanted them to do is worry about me, so I put on a smile.   
“Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts.”   
They all shared looks. I hated when they did that.  
Eli cleared his throat. “You still haven’t heard from him? It’s been like a week.”   
I’ve been painfully aware of how long Stavo had been gone. My once peaceful nights had turned into thrash filled and sleepless nights. When I find it unlikely I wouldn’t get anymore sleep I made my way to the kitchen. Drew usually woke in the middle of the night, too. We’d end up talking into the morning most of the time, then went straight into training. With ease we fell into a pattern that worked for us.   
Drew was pretty cool. It was abundantly clear to everyone that he had no romantic interest in me, which also eased my parents minds. He’d eat dinner with us, open up about his past, share his dreams for his MMA gym. It was nice to have another person in the house. It almost felt like I had an older brother in a way. I kind of think my parents felt that way a little, too. It all was a great distraction from Stavo not being here. His absence was felt in the house. My parents were extremely worried about him. Cage reached out to assure me he was alive, but that did me no good.  
“So a movie night or what?” Kieran asked with his arm around Emma.  
She nodded. “Yeah, but nothing scary.” She warned.  
“Sounds good.” Noah added.   
Audrey nudged my arm. “You in, Brooke?”   
I shrugged. “I have to train tonight, but I’ll try to make it.”   
They all sighed. They hated that I all I seemed to do anymore was train, but it was the only thing that could possibly save my life. If they weren’t concerned about their lives that wasn’t my fault.   
“It’s important to me.” I supplied, then trailed off into my thoughts again.   
I jumped up to get a refill already itching to learn some new moves and kick some ass with Drew.   
The male barista smiled at me with intent in his eyes, but I ignored him not in the mood at all. I stretched out my arms while I waited.   
“Brooke could definitely kick your ass now Audrey, admit it?” Noah stated.   
“I could still take her on. Come on, let’s show them who’s boss.” Audrey winked.  
I shook my head at their fun, but cracked a grin.  
When I turned back to my friends with my fresh coffee in hand my eyes caught sight of tan skin approaching GrindHouse. My amusement faded as I locked eyes with him. It was like I forgot to breath and think at the same time.  
Everyone turned to see what had caused my sudden pause.   
“Go to him, idiot.” Audrey urged.  
I had half a mind to sit down and pretend like I hadn’t seen him, but that’s not what I did. The entire walk toward him felt like I had tunnel vision, everything seemed to stretch out until he finally stood before me with unsure brown eyes. I stared back at him with much of the same. We actually stood there for about a minute, neither one of us sure of what to say.   
“Hey,” He muttered.  
Hey? Hey?! That’s all I got? Nearly a week of his absence, of no contact at all and all he could say was hey?  
My hand wanted to slap him across the face, punch his jaw, and twist his heart out so he knew how I felt after he left once my confession was in the air. But I didn’t do that either.  
Instead, I folded my arms across my chest and said, “Why’d you come back?”   
His brow arched as if he didn’t understand the question or why I asked. “Because this is where I belong.” His eyes searched mine. “Brooke, I know you’re mad at me, but I had my reasons for leaving. Okay?”  
My head shook. “No, not okay. Do you have any idea how worried I was that something happened to you, that you were dead?” I realized I practically shouted at him and lowered my voice. I shrugged to keep calm. “You know, I kept thinking to myself ‘What if he didn’t want to come back because of what I said?’ Do you know how awful that made me feel? Do you have any idea how much I felt for you?”   
His forehead creased. “Felt?”  
I backed away from him. “Yeah, felt.”  
He gave an incredulous laugh. “There’s no way you stopped having those feelings over one week.”   
My lips pursed. “How would you know?” I said calmly to let him know I was beyond upset. “You haven’t been here, Stavo.”   
“That’s not fair,” He sighed, then stepped forward. “I had to leave and I was going to come right back, then you dropped that bomb on me...” Shame filled his dark eyes. “And I couldn’t come back. I just...”  
“I’m surprised you actually heard it seeing as you cut me off before I could finish.” I nodded. “But part of me knew that you wouldn’t say it back when I said it because you are so convinced that you don’t deserve love that you’re too scared to actually let yourself feel that way about anybody. Even your dad.”   
He all but paused, his gaze sliced through me. “How could you say that?”  
“Because it’s the truth! You think because your mom and Angie died loving you that you don’t get to feel that way again. And you think your dad doesn’t want to be around you when the truth is you pushed him away the most. Just like you’re pushing me away.”   
He shook his head with a wry grin. “God, you have no idea what you’re talking about.”   
My forehead creased. “Don’t I? I know you inside and out, Stavo. I know you’re scared of how you feel and that’s why you ran away.”  
He shook his head some more. “You’re wrong.” His voice rose. “I’m not scared to love.” His eyes blazed into mine. “I’m scared to love too much.” He spread his hands in the air, then sighed. “I’m scared that if I love you the way I want to then you’ll be taken from me, too. And I can’t handle that.”   
I no longer had a heart beating in my chest, it was in my stomach after his confession. My resolve softened. “Stavo,” I stepped forward with a caring voice. “That’s not going to happen.”  
His jaw hardened. “How do you know? A feeling? You can’t promise that you won’t get killed. Look at the situation we’re in! There’s literally a killer hell bent on killing you.”  
So why hadn’t he yet?  
I nodded. “He’s hell bent on killing you, too, but you don’t see me scared to love you.” I challenged. “And you don’t see me running away.” I realized something. “Maybe I didn’t have a choice, but you did.” My eyes averted from his. “You came into my life when I felt lost and empty. I lost Jake, half my friends, and my mom was gone. You being you I was bound to fall for you.” I gave a humorless chuckle. “Me being me I can understand why you had a choice.”   
He gave me the most pitiful look possible. “Come on, Brooke,”   
I backed away with my hands in front of my chest, protecting me from him. “I think we need some time apart.”  
His jaw clenched again. “You’re breaking up with me?”  
I bit into my lip and answered sadly, “No, in order to break up with someone you actually have to have them...and if we’re being honest I never really had you, Stavo. Not in the way you had me.”  
“Brooke-” He protested.  
My hand raised in the air. “Please, don’t make this harder. We just need a few days apart.”   
His eyes flared. “We’ve had a few days apart.”  
“Who’s fault is that?” I shot back. “You should’ve thought about this before you left for a week without so much as a text.” I shrugged, then turned back to my friends. Not our friends right now, but my friends.  
The next day Emma and I spent the evening talking about life. It was nice that we had gotten back to where we used to be. Incredibly odd and sad, but it felt like Maggie dying had brought us closer together once we reunited. We spent a good chunk of time online shopping. Sue me, it was fun.   
“Emma,” Her dad called from the other side.  
“Yeah, Dad?” She sat up.  
“Brooke has company.” He paused uncomfortably. “I’ll just be downstairs.”   
Emma and I shared a confused look, then narrowed her eyes at whoever stood in the doorway behind me.   
By the way my back stiffened I could tell it was Stavo, that and the air seemed to crackle with tension. I turned to look over my shoulder at him briefly. My eyes begged Emma to make herself scarce.   
She was already ahead of me. I’ve never seen her little feet scurry off so quickly. “I’ll just be downstairs,” She mimicked her dad.   
That left Stavo and I alone. And i didn’t want to be alone with him. Not because I was afraid of what I would do, but I was afraid of what I’d say. In my case actions didn't speak louder than words because I knew if I wanted to I could destroy him with my words like he destroyed me with his actions.  
He cleared his throat. “Can we talk?”   
I decided to put on my best Bitch Brooke persona as I faced him, then I said, “I thought I was clear. I don’t want to see you.” I looked at him. “I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t want to be near you.” I inched closer to him. “And if the time comes that I want any of that I’ll be sure to let you know.” My hand pushed Emma’s door shut in hopes to send him flying back, but his strong hand stopped the door before it could have it’s desired effect.   
His brown eyes stared at me in disbelief. “Come on, Brooke. I’m sorry I left, I really am. But I had to go.”   
I nodded. “I get that. I don’t blame you for leaving,” My eyes scanned his painfully handsome face, angered by everything I loved on him. “But did you have to leave me?”   
He took a step inside the bedroom. “It wasn’t like that, I swear.”  
“Then explain to me what it was like.”   
He closed the door behind him. “Look, I didn’t want to leave you, especially then, but I had to get away to clear my head.”   
My brow rose. “And did you? Clear your head, I mean?” I demanded curtly.  
As he stared at me I knew there was something he held back. I felt it when he looked at me earlier.   
“Not as much as I thought I would.”   
I made a dissatisfied face. “Glad you figured that out.”   
“You know, all I thought about while I was gone was you.”   
Disbelief filled me. “Really? So why couldn’t you reach out or talk to me about why you had to leave? I’m always here for you, I thought you knew that!”  
“I do know that,” He insisted.  
“Then why keep me in the dark?”  
He stepped closer until he was right in front of me. “Because you were the reason I had to leave, Brooke.” He let that linger, his dark eyes gazed into mine. “And Angie.” He swallowed a lump in his throat. “The night I left it was the anniversary of her death.” His voice was barely above a whisper.   
My eyes stung with the intensity of the tears I wanted to cry right now. My icy exterior melted, even before I registered his pre-cry voice and broken heart.  
“Can we not talk about this here?” He begged in hushed tones.  
I nodded, then ushered him down the stairs, and left him in the foyer. I went to the kitchen to find Emma and her dad. “Hey, Em,”  
She looked up at me, then ventured over. “You okay?”   
I wasn’t sure how I looked to her, but it couldn’t have been great.   
I nodded anyway and silently prayed that I wouldn’t cry in front of them over this. Even though Lord knows I wanted to because my guy was so tragically broken. Maybe that’s why we fit so perfectly together.   
“We’re going to go talk, spend some time together. Turns out this wasn’t really about me after all.” I cleared my throat.  
As much as I still wanted to be mad at him for going about this the way he did, I had to separate my feelings for him from the equation and be there for him as a friend. He’d done it for me countless times.  
With Dr. Southern aka Weary tailing us on Stavo’s motorcycle we ended up in my room. Only now I understood. Kind of. I sat on the edge of my bed, a little uncomfortable.   
He leaned against my desk, an uncomfortable glean in his eye. “Look, I don’t expect you to forgive me or to understand why I did what I did.” He scratched the back of his ear. “I just want you to know.”   
My head nodded because I couldn’t bring myself to speak actual words.  
“I wanted to tell you about Angie, but I couldn’t. Not because I thought you’d be jealous or mad, but because I had to figure out what she still meant to me when I feel this way about you.”   
I nodded some more. I decided to let him go on how he wished.  
“I freaked out because in a long time I didn’t feel like I had nothing on that day. I had you, which scared the crap out of me. That day was a reminder of what could go horribly wrong to someone I cared about.” He gestured to me. “And I had this sinking pit in my stomach the whole day thinking you were going to die if I stayed. Once I got over that fear I had to think about what it was I wanted from us versus what you wanted versus what we deserved.” He paused, his eyes grew heavy. “When you said what you said that...I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since.”   
“Is that good or bad?”   
He shrugged. “I don’t know.”   
With a sigh, I went to lean against my desk by him. “What I said yesterday I didn’t mean-”  
“Yeah, you did.” He interrupted. “And you were right.”  
“What I meant to say was I shouldn’t have said it like that. I just lashed out because I was hurt, which isn’t an excuse.”  
Then I realized that things were now forever changed either way.  
“You were the closest person to me. Now I don't know.” I faltered.   
His hand reached for me. “I want to be the closest person to you always.”  
A playful grin found my lips. “You mean, now I have to dump Drew?”  
His jaw clenched and unclenched. “Part of me knows you're kidding, but the part of me that loves you is freaking out so just tell me you're joking.”  
“What do I get if I do?”  
A look of desire and need filled his brown eyes. “What do you want?”  
My hand cupped his cheek as I leaned closer. “You know what I want.”  
He let out a raspy sigh. “You know I can't give you either of those.” He saddened.  
Of course, I knew he couldn't tell me he was in love with me or make love to me. We just weren't there yet. It began to feel like we would never be there. Someday.  
“Then I'll take a kiss.”   
He grinned a dimpled grin that made my heart flutter. “Where?” He kissed my cheek.  
I laughed.   
He kissed my nose, then my neck while his fingers tickled me. “There?” He kissed my chin.  
My attempts to flee were obsolete by his strong grip on my waist. That and I didn't really want to get away. I could totally probably kick his ass if I wanted, but I knew he also knew some MMA from Cage.   
“Stavo,” I wiggled away out of breath. “There's something I need to tell you and I'm not sure how you're going to take it.”  
I saw the conflict cross his face. He nodded an okay for me to finish.   
I gave an impish grin. “I may have gone into your phone, gotten Cage’s number, and asked for your friends to come here, but I think Cage was the only one that could make it “   
He stilled. “You did what?”  
My face reddened. “Uh...”  
“Brooke,” He reeled in his anger. “Why would you go behind my back and do that when I specifically said I didn't want them coming here, especially Cage?”   
“How could you ask me that? I don’t like to see you so lonely.” I pointed to my chest. “I know that I’m not enough to keep you happy - that’s okay. I just wanted to do something nice for you. I wanted to make you smile in a way that I couldn’t.”   
He stepped forward, his hand cupped my cheeks, a stern look in his eyes. “You make me happy, in a way my friends back home can’t. Don’t doubt that.”  
My hand covered his. “I don’t doubt that. I just know I’ll never know you like they know you. And that’s a tough pill to swallow.”  
He nodded. “I get it. That’s how I feel when I’m around your friends.” He saw the remorse washing over my face and rushed to say, “Don’t get me wrong, I love your friends-our friends. I’m grateful I have them, but I’m so incredibly happy that you’re in my life.”  
A warmness worked over me. We gazed at each other.  
Then the stupid phone rang, no longer keeping us in our little romantic bubble.   
I picked it up. “What do you want now?” I demanded.  
“Brooke, it’s Miguel,” He spoke with authority.  
Crap.  
“Sorry, I thought you were someone else.”  
He cleared his throat. “I know. I suggest you save my number in your phone in case of emergencies. Or if you want to talk about anything, you know.”   
A tiny part of me felt like I accomplished something if Acosta wanted to talk to me at all.   
“Thanks, I will.” I briefly met Stavo’s gaze, then turned around because he made me feel exposed and vulnerable under his watch.   
“Is there something you wanted to talk about?” I felt oddly informal, so I tacked on, “Sir.”  
He gave a small chuckle. “Actually, yes. I wanted to let you know Cage’s flying in the morning. Do you feel comfortable riding with me to the airport in the morning or would you rather sit this one out?”   
“Uh,” I stalled because I still didn’t know where Stavo stood on his anger scale, so I confessed, “He knows, I told him.” I breathed out a relieved sigh as I tapped my phone. “You’re on speaker phone.”   
He paused. “Hey...son.”  
Stavo folded his arms across his chest. “Dad, you’re telling me you knew about this and went along with it? Even after I told you I didn’t want my friends coming up here?” His eyes hardened.   
“Ye-yeah.” He gave a nervous chuckle. “Brooke is very persuasive. She meant well, plus I kind of agree with her. And she cried. You know I don’t like to see girls cry. It makes me feel bad.”   
I snorted a laugh. He was in the wrong profession if that was the case.   
Stavo looked at me with narrowed eyes. “That day in your office when Brooke was crying, you planned this then?”  
I nodded. “Yup.” Not even a little sorry anymore.  
Acosta threw out rapid fire Spanish to his son. When I realized they were arguing and I heard my name I fiddled around my room. Obviously, they didn’t want me to know what they were saying, so naturally I wanted to know. If they were talking shit I wanted to know.  
“Brooke,” Stavo called.   
I looked up from a photo of the two of us on my dresser. “Yeah?”   
“Are you coming with us in the morning?”  
Part of me thought he’d tell Cage himself not to come, but I hadn’t anticipated he wanted to go.   
My head nodded because I wasn’t quite sure I could speak without theatrics.  
“Alright, bye Dad.” He hung up with a huff. He looked over at me. “I know you meant well, but you still should’ve asked me about this. Cage is my best friend, Brooke.”  
Then what was I?  
But I didn’t say that.  
He grabbed his bag. “I’m going to head home for the night.”   
My brow rose. “You’re not sleeping here?”   
I just assumed he would tonight because...well, I missed him. I missed the reassurance of his body next to mine. More importantly, I missed the peaceful nights.  
Our eyes locked.   
“My Dad’s cooking dinner and we’re going to talk so...” His gaze dropped to the floor.  
Stavo wasn’t one to tell you he was really mad at you, you just sort of felt it. I never really knew when I crossed a line with him because he was so forgiving. However, it was pretty easy to tell when he was disappointed in me, but mad was a different emotion entirely.   
He walked the distance to me, pulled one arm around me for a hug, and planted a kiss on my cheek. “Goodnight.”   
I stood there rigidly. “Night.”   
Last night went about as expected. I tossed and turned all night and it showed on my face while I got dressed. Today would be a lazy day. One to celebrate because Stavo and I would spend the whole day with Cage. I left out that Cage came off as flirty with me in our texts because I didn’t think it meant anything, but what if it did and I’d be the reason Cage and Stavo stopped being friends? How could I live with that if I broke them up? God, I’m just so damned cute. It’s not my fault really. Besides, I wasn’t entirely sure Stavo had forgiven me. The better question is how did I end up the bad guy here?   
So on the way to the airport in the squad car I sat up front while Stavo stretched out in the back, his black baseball cap pulled over his face as he lightly snored. From the dark circles under his eyes I’d say his night went about the same as mine. But I was too wired now to sleep. The fact that I might be responsible for Cage’s impending death and the several cups of coffee I had before we left had me shook.   
Acosta glanced at me while he drove. “You okay over there?”   
My shoulders shrugged. “I guess. Just nervous.” I admitted, hoping that Stavo was still asleep so he wouldn’t hear my confession.   
I went to the text from last night.  
Cage: Can’t wait 2 meet u, beautiful ;) I hope Stavo is doing a good enough job.   
Me: Same. I think he is.  
We left it at that. I didn’t know what to make of it. Did Stavo know Cage sent me those messages? Were they testing me?   
Acosta pulled into the parking lot. “Gustavo,” was all I understood before he reached back to pat his son’s leg with a string of Spanish.   
I unbuckled in time enough to see the plane descend from the sky. When I turned back to shut the door I noticed Stavo had placed his baseball cap on backwards.  
He stretched, which reminded me of his body against mine. Or more importantly, how I wanted it against mine.  
My head shook the thoughts away. None of that today. Today was about Stavo and making sure he was as happy as he made me...most of the time. The other time he spent it ripping my heart out of my chest. Not that I’m still bitter. I couldn’t be because then I’d be a bitch. And I didn’t want to be a bitch. I wanted to grow as a person.   
We walked through the airport side by side with his dad a few feet ahead of us.   
“I appreciate this just so you know,” Stavo muttered.  
I looked up at him, absolutely loving what I saw. I loved the way the black hat and shirt complimented his skin tone. He was just an all you can eat buffet.  
My mouth tilted up into a half grin. “It’s not a big deal.” I said, even though we both know it was a huge deal with a serial killer on the loose, but that wasn’t what we were alluding to this time.   
He moved a little closer. “Well, not many people would do this for me.” His chocolate brown eyes shined down on me. “And I know you did this from a good place, so thank you.”   
All of a sudden my throat felt dry. “You’d do the same for me so.” I shrugged it off because I was sure I was sweating through my clothes.   
He let it go as we walked down the terminal. My heart pumped so loud in my ears I was sure I’d have blood pouring out of my ears. Which was gross by the way.   
“You’re going to love Cage, I promise.” Stavo grinned. “The coolest person in the world.” He assured me.   
Honestly, I was excited to meet him. This was probably the only person that knew Stavo better than his father did and I’d have unlimited access to this juicy knowledge. Plus, I hoped that Cage and Drew could bond over MMA and hopefully Stavo would realize Drew wasn’t a bad guy.   
“Are you feeling okay? You look a little pale. Well, paler. For a white girl.”   
I nodded. “I’m good, just didn’t sleep well last night is all.” I glanced up at him and saw the recognition in his eyes.   
If Cage was staying at his house then I’d have to get used to Stavoless nights as long as he stayed in Lakewood. Should be fun. Yay.  
There was a shuffle of people coming out of the entryway from the plane. Stavo peeked his head around liked he’d miss a presumably six foot three hot dude coming our way. I memorized what Cage looked like from the picture in Stavo’s phone. He’d definitely stand out. I tried my best to not dress in a way that would cause a bro fight on day one. When I got dressed I threw on a maroon tank top, a pair of black leggings, and grey chucks. Something really lowkey.   
I looked over at Acosta.   
He watched the area carefully, spotting the patrol that accompanied us in two other cars. He looked down at me. “Yes?”   
“This is going to go smoothly.” My voice filled full of forced hope. “Cage is a strong guy, he can handle his own.” I gave a small smile.   
His forehead creased as he surveyed me in confusion, then looked to his son with a worried look.   
“Cage!” I heard Stavo shout in excitement.   
“Stavo! Dude, it’s so good to see you!” A distinctly feminine voice spoke.   
I turned to see a blonde girl being picked up in Stavo’s arms in a bear hug. A blonde that looked a hell of a lot like Nikki from the photo, the other best friend. I checked around us for Cage, not seeing the dude anywhere.   
Acosta cleared his throat as he stepped forward. “Cage, nice to see you again.” He moved for a hug.  
The girl detached from Stavo to hug his dad.   
That’s when it settled in. Blood rushed to my face as I realized what a colossal assumption I had made. I thought back to whenever I talked to Stavo and Acosta about Cage, they never used male or female pronouns. When Stavo showed the picture with him, Nikki, and Cage I just assumed Cage was the guy and Nikki was the girl. But apparently not! I hated to become that girl that got jealous of her guy’s girl friends, but I hadn’t known Cage was a girl. That somehow changed everything.  
Cage all but attacked me in a hug while I tried to gather my wits about me.   
“It’s so good to finally meet you.” Her honey like voice laughed in my ear. “You’re all Stavo talks about.”   
I patted her back, unable to really get into a hug right now. “Same.” I offered a smile that I knew fell flat. I felt Stavo’s curious gaze on me, wondering why I wasn’t super excited that Cage was here.   
Acosta smacked his son on the back of the head with extra fast Spanish. I didn’t know what was said, but it sounded extra angry.   
Cage’s eyes widened as she stared at me, then all but yelled at Stavo in Spanish.   
Did everyone speak Spanish besides me?! Answer: yes.  
He raised his hands at them, then looked to me with a sigh. “Let’s go just get back to the house.”   
“Come on, Cage,” Acosta took her luggage. “Let’s get you to the car.” He gestured for her to follow.   
Her long golden blonde hair flowed behind her in beachy waves. Her sculpted tan legs went on for days in the jean shorts she wore. God, why did she have to be so beautiful? I had to wonder if Stavo was admiring her legs, too.  
He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry,” He whispered so only we’d hear. “I didn’t know you thought...” He trailed off as he trained his eyes on Cage.   
A feeling a lot like betrayal filled me, which was stupid because the mistake was entirely my fault. Even so, Stavo never mentioned that Cage was a girl. Was it simply an accident or did he do it on purpose, afraid of my reaction?   
Either way, I was pissed. And I wanted the bitch to go back on that damn plane because I already knew what her time here would be like; a whole lot of jealous coming from me! I wanted to push kick Stavo down a flight of stairs so badly I could scream.   
Not trusting my words, I gave a “Mhmm,” then pushed forward so I didn’t have to talk to him.   
The air filled with awkwardness as we all rode in the car in silence. I couldn’t believe this happened. I tried to get to the mindset that it wasn’t Stavo’s fault, but mine. I just couldn’t see it that way. How easy could it have been for him to tell me his childhood best friend was a girl?   
They slowly started to chat. Soon the car filled with their laughter.   
My mind kept going to the thought that he had feelings for her or once had. Why else wouldn’t he tell me Cage was a girl?  
Acosta look over at me with cautious eyes. “You okay over there?”  
My hand ran through my blond locks. “I have to be.”  
Their laughter rang in my ears like annoying and insistent sirens.   
He surprised me when he patted my knee. Not because it was sexual in any way, but because I still wasn’t sure whether he liked me for his son or not. I’m sure my shock showed on my face.   
I offered an appreciative smile.   
When we got back to Stavo’ house I watched them welcome Cage into their home, a welcome that I didn’t feel extended to me. Stavo would be fine with me staying at his place, but I couldn’t muster up the courage to stay too long here. So I used that as my excuse to leave.   
Acosta started on dinner by the time I descended the stairs from helping set up Cage’s guestroom. Guys were last minute with everything.  
He looked up at my presence. “Do you like empanadas? Not the healthiest breakfast, but it’ll do.”  
My lips pursed. That did sound intriguing, but I needed to breath from this situation for a while.   
Laughter followed me into the kitchen.   
“You are not making your famous empanadas, Miguel?” Excitement filled her as she went to look in the fridge.   
I realized I’ve never done that here. She had been here all of five minutes and she was already comfortable enough with them to just waltz into their private things. Furthermore, Acosta never offered to make me empanadas.   
“Only for you.” Acosta grinned at her.   
“Brooke, you have to try these.” Stavo went to Cage’s side. “You haven’t lived until you’ve had my Dad’s cooking.” He casually leaned an elbow on Cage’s shoulder.   
The action rushed bile up my throat. Now I knew how he must’ve felt with Drew around. I had to bolt before I cried and ruined this whole day for Stavo. Despite him not telling me about Cage, he still deserved this.   
I shook my head. “Not today. I’m feeling a little under the weather.”  
His eyes narrowed as he assessed me. “Are you sure?”  
“Yeah, come on,” Cage grinned. “I just got here. Show me around town.”   
My hand tucked my hair behind my ear. “Yeah, another time. I promise.”   
Stavo stepped forward. “I’ll drive you home.”   
I held my hand in the air. “No, that’s okay. I’ll walk.”  
He gave me an incredulous look. “You’re not walking.”  
I sighed. “Then I’ll have Drew come get me. It’s fine. Really.”  
He wasn’t convinced at all by my lie, but he didn’t have to be. We’d talk about it later. Just not right now.   
He looked back at his family of two. “I’ll be back.” When he turned back to me his eyes said he wanted to talk about it now as he motioned for me to go outside. I followed him to his garage.  
I quickly texted Drew to come get me.   
“Please stay.” Stavo begged. “For me.”  
My jaw clenched. “I can’t. Not right now.”   
His eyes tried to understand. “Are you that upset that I didn’t specify Cage was a girl?”   
My phone vibrated in my hand, but I ignored it. “Can we not talk about this right now?”   
“No, I want to talk about it now. All of a sudden you don’t like Cage because she’s not a guy?”  
I scoffed. “That’s not it at all.”  
“Then what?” He demanded, all huffy because I didn’t like his best friend.  
My shoulders shrugged. “I don’t want to ruin your day.”  
“It’s already ruined if you don’t like Cage and if you’re upset.” He tried to grab my hand, but I pulled it away. “Are you jealous all of a sudden?”   
When I didn’t respond he gave a wry laugh.   
“Wow, how the tables have turned.”   
I wanted to punch him in the gut. “It’s not the same thing, Stavo. I never had feelings for Drew.”   
His forehead creased. “What does that mean?”   
My feelings for him were getting the best of me. I tightened my fists at my side.   
“Nothing, it’s stupid.”   
“Brooke?”   
A huff left me. “Why didn’t you tell me Cage was a girl? There was some part of you that had to know that I had no clue. So why keep it a secret? Did you ever have feelings for her?”   
He looked taken aback. “What? No.”  
“Did she ever have feelings for you?”   
“Jesus Christ, Brooke. She’s my best friend. We never hooked up, never had feelings for each other, none of that. She’s just Cage.”   
I was aware that I was acting how he did when he was upset over Drew, but this was different. His relationship with Cage went back to the sandbox, survived puberty, and matured into young adulthood. They had years upon years of friendship on our new whatever the hell it was. I was right to question his motives. Because what if he did have feelings for Cage after all?   
“Are you cool with it now?” He folded his arms across his chest.   
“No, because it really feels like I brought your ex girlfriend to town.”   
Despite the situation, he started to laugh, which only angered me more.   
“That’s kind of what you get, seeing as it wasn’t any of your business in the first place.”   
My eyes rolled. “You are my business, dick.”   
He moved closer with the intent of a hug, but I backed away. “Don’t be an ass, Brooklyn.” He looked down at me with an alpha male authority that told me he wanted me. “Now give me a damn hug.”   
Dammit. He looked sexy in that fucking backwards cap, so I obeyed and opened myself up for a hug.   
“Please, don’t make this into a thing with Cage. You would really like her if you give her a chance.”  
Why couldn’t he have used indicative pronouns weeks ago?   
I nodded. “Just give me a few hours to get used to it.”   
He actually looked like he felt bad. “I’m sorry, I don’t know if I said that already, but I am.”  
I pulled away. “I know.”   
A horn peeped from down the street.   
“Drew’s here.” I gestured over my shoulders. “I’ll see you later.” I was halfway down the driveway when Stavo pulled me back to him.  
He gazed down at me. “Just so he knows you’re not his,” I thought he leaned down for a respectable peck, but no. He wanted to French me good and dirty for the whole neighborhood to see. When he pulled away I was out of breath and blushing. He smirked. “Dibs.”  
I grinned. “You can’t dibs me, I’m not food.”   
He gave me a knowing look. “Save it, I know you want me to be territorial.” He pecked his lips to mine again. “So dibs on you Brooke Maddox.”   
My lips tugged on his. “Dibs on you Gustavo Acosta.” My head tilted. “What’s your full name? Don’t you have like ten other names?”  
He chuckled. “Not exactly ten. I’ll tell you when this is all over with.”   
That’ll be a cold day in Hell.   
“Maybe a little sooner would be nice.” I suggested. I glanced at Drew, he absently drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he waited. He needed more friends. I really wished Stavo would give him a chance. Trust me, I know I was the pot calling the kettle black.   
“Let’s make a deal,” Stavo drew my attention back to him. “You give Cage a chance and I’ll give Drew a chance?”   
Shocked by his willingness to get along with Drew I immediately agreed. Besides, it wasn’t like I didn’t like Cage, she was perfectly nice. I was just wary of the grounds of their friendship.   
We shook on it.   
“So tonight we’re all gonna hang. You’re going to be nice and I’m going to be nice so it should be fine.” He said like it would fix everything.  
“Cool.” I nodded.  
He grinned warily. “Cool.”   
Even with that settled, I still had a nagging pit in my stomach that something was going to go wrong. Be it another attack, another death, or a girl fight. Something like karmic drama brewed ahead and I was almost positive Stavo felt it, too. 

 

A/N: Hopefully next chapter will be a review of the finale and the Halloween special. If yall want to give your feedback on the special email thescreamcast@gmail.com your review! Be sure to let them know I directed you to their podcast, it’s really freaking great guys! Thanks for reading! Please leave a review or message me on social media to let me know how you liked it. Part of the reason it took so long to get this chapter up was because I haven’t been getting enough feedback so I wasn’t particularly motivated to update.


	16. 2x12 and Halloween Special Reviews

SO HERE’S MY REVIEW TO 2X12 THE FINALE. I just copied and pasted my review that I emailed to Dan and Olga at thescreamcast at gmail dot com (won’t let me put in the actual email on here) If you get upset that this isn’t an actual chapter then you didn’t read my last two chapters carefully haha :) 

 

Hey yall Deniqua Frye here! First off, apologies in advance for the long af email! It’s the finale and I even with the Halloween specials a few months away I still felt like this will be the last serious podcast for some reason. Also this will probably be all over the place.

I liked the opening scene a lot. The girls seeing the cop die was okay, but I loved when the killer (SPOILER jk) threw them the keys. I don’t know if yall watch Pretty Little Liars but the person tormenting the girls aka “A” helps them out sometimes, which I think it a fun twisted game and it’s interesting to watch.

I will say that I like Kieran’s reveal and it was really exactly what I wanted it to be as far as him playing Billy Loomis, but I wanted him to be a little more violent. Whenever we see the killer killing someone it was always really dark and violent. I felt that Kieran should’ve had maybe a better weapon than a knife in his reveal, something more flamboyant like we’ve seen the killer use this season. I liked that Kieran’s hair this episode seemed messier than any other episode this season and it really alluded to Billy Loomis.

Emma knowing that Kieran was the killer when he said something about her being safe was okay I guess, but it wasn’t something I had picked up on when the killer was talking to her. Maybe it could’ve been something more obvious that tipped her off. I do think she made the connection because Eli was successful in planting seeds of doubt in her mind just before. What do yall think? Also I think we have to take into account that even though most of the fandom knew/suspected Kieran Emma never did and for her it was a big deal because she told Kieran literally everything that’s happened. She loved him and that’s sad. I feel sorry for her because now she has serious trust issues. I’m wondering how the Emma and Kieran shippers feel after this episode. Kieran was protective and caring, but he had no spark by design so it was hard to ship them. I’m really interested in who Kieran really was.  
Totally okay with Emma and Audrey dating btw.

Stavo not being let into the theater was hilarious, especially when Noah was the one that insisted he stay outside. I think they gave Stavo great stuff this episode. More so his scene with his dad. So is Brooke living with Stavo and his dad? While it could just be them having dinner together I don’t think Brooke could easily live with them just because she’s used to being rich. That would be an interesting character development moving forward if we got to see how she dealt with being poor. I agree with Olga again that Brooke didn’t need a love interest and she was made to stand on her own this last episode because she lost everyone else. My issue with Brooke and Stavo hooking up was that it felt like a rebound, but now I’m wondering if the writers knew how it was going to end with them while they were writing their earlier scenes. As they were sitting at the table it seemed like Brooke had a new family to be a part of and I was more okay with that then her and Stavo still sleeping together under the same house. Thoughts?

I’m not sure about this time jump. At first it seemed like Noah was saying a three month time jump happened after Kieran was caught, but then it wouldn’t make sense for Noah to do that podcast three months after unless he was so traumatized he couldn’t make himself do it until then. But it definitely seemed like there had to be at least a few days if not a few weeks time jump.

I still don’t quite get Kieran’s involvement with Piper before Lakewood. I get that they bonded over their parental issues, but how did they meet? It would be funny if they met in a therapist’s office. Can yall clarify?

So why didn’t Kieran kill Eli? Yall brought that up in past podcasts. Kieran wasn’t trying to frame Eli so why did he keep him around?

Emma and Audrey running around town in broad daylight was hysterical.  
For some reason Brooke mourning her dad didn’t hit me in the feels like I expected it to. She literally lost someone from the beginning of the season to the end. I lowkey ship Brooke and Noah. They’re a weird combination, but I really loved their hospital and theater scenes. Dan, are you with me on this one?

Initially, I thought this finale was really great and way better than the last finale...but no one but Eli and the cop died. Brooke was hurt, but nothing bad really happened to any of the characters, but I’m going to say that in the Halloween special is when the shit really hits the fan. I’m predicting Kieran escapes with this new accomplice/killer and that’s when more people will die. Hopefully.

Rewatching the episode, the scenes with Kieran take on a new layer of eeriness. Especially, when he let Noah and Brooke into the theater and when he stood back after his friends hugged under the Murderville banner. So if Noah was with Kieran in the next scene when the killer called the girls how did Kieran call the girls without Noah knowing? I would love to believe that Noah is the new killer/accomplice that called Kieran from prison, but I don’t think that would work with the Zoe stuff. And I can’t think of a reasonable motive.

Loved Emma telling the killer to come to the theater even though it was stupid, I liked how ballsy she was this episode. The montage of all the deaths was great.  
They really gave the viewers that believed it was Kieran a lot of bait this episode. Kieran even said he was going to get Audrey in the theater. Now I really love that scene in the halls when Kieran tells Haley to give it a rest. Did Kieran tell Haley and her boyfriend at the time to pull that prank on Audrey or do you think it was just a coincidence?

I wasn’t pleased with Brooke’s run in with the killer. It felt weak and to have her first time with him be a simple stabbing felt anticlimactic. Or do you think it was Carlson’s acting? It’s sad to think that because she’s done so well overall with everything they’ve given her.

Every time Kieran called Emma I felt like it was the killer. I’m wondering if the writers are working the split personality angle with Kieran. While he was still on the phone with Emma the killer called her and he directly went into ghostface mode a few seconds later. I don’t think he has a multiple personality, but it would be interesting to see.

When Eli came into the reveal scene I was totally convinced they were working together and I would’ve loved that. I think Dan tweeted something about how the cops assumed it was Kieran when Miguel raided the place. Eli admitted he called the cops when Emma asked him what happened. Even so, I don’t think he should’ve overlooked that Emma was covered in blood and Audrey was dressed as the killer with a chain around Kieran’s neck. But I forgive it because I think we all knew that Miguel never really thought the girls were the killers.

That was a great scene between Kieran and Eli. I didn’t know who to believe or what to believe, but I think we all realized it a bit sooner than Emma did that Kieran definitely was the killer. For me, I realized it was definitely Kieran right before when Eli started talking about the girl in Atlanta because Kieran said, “Listen to this, he just twists everything.” there was a switch in Amadeus’ acting that nodded at him being both more intriguing than we’ve ever seen him and crazier than Kieran seemed capable of.

When Eli rose to stab Kieran at first I thought he was standing to reveal he was wearing a vest and he was the second killer. Kieran shot the shit out of him. I was also hoping that Audrey would stand up from the chair to reveal she wasn’t actually handcuffed and was the second killer, which would’ve made zero sense with all that she’s been through. I’m disappointed that there wasn’t a second killer.

Rewatching the killer reveal scene I am actually really pleased with Amadeus’ acting. I think we all wanted him to be the killer because he was so bland and sketchy, but we were all worried that if he was the killer then his reveal wouldn’t be great because it was predictable. I wanted to point out that Kieran was way more likable and interesting in season one than this season. Do yall agree?

I’m going to say he was far better than I expected. I bought that he was psychotic, enough to kill his own dad, and that he got a thrill out of killing. Oddly, I now feel like he was one of my favorite characters just because of that reveal. To backtrack, do you really think Kieran asked Noah to ping Emma’s location? I mean, I guess he wouldn’t need to because he told her where to go, but I’m bringing it up because I didn’t think Kieran was smart enough to hack someone, let alone Noah who’s unhackable. Maybe he learned it from Piper.

Sidenote: If instead of Kieran going to jail he actually killed the girls and was made to look like the hero and we got a season three would it have been interesting to see Kieran trying to cover up his tracks by killing the characters as they get closer and finding a fall guy? Or maybe even another killer tormenting him. I think if we got something different like that, which is still kind of like what they did with Audrey early this season.

Watching Emma holding a gun to Kieran’s head and Audrey choke him with a chain made it easy to picture them actually as the killers/the madness of two. There was a heavy emphasis on Audrey going to Emma’s side once Kieran was arrested and the music that was playing sounded kind of sexy. Their scene in the theater at the end had a date vibe, but maybe that was my wishful thinking. Do you think it’s possible Emma would start to have feelings for Audrey? Or maybe the better question is would it be necessary or likable to see?

The note Maggie left for Brandon was stabbed to the tree. I think it’s safe to assume it was Brandon James that did that, but I’m not sure. How would yall feel if it was Miguel that killed all those kids back in the day?

The phone call at the end confused me. Are we supposed to believe that Kieran was taking credit for killings he didn’t do or that there was another accomplice from season one we didn’t know about? Or are we supposed to believe it’s definitely Brandon James calling him? If we believe it’s Brandon James calling him then I guess we’re supposed to believe it was definitely Brandon James that killed those people. Why would Brandon James use the killer voice app though?

My biggest question is are yall satisfied with Kieran’s killer reveal? I mean, it was predictable only because we had 12 weeks to fully think about who the killer was. Outside of the predictability, did yall enjoy Amadeus’ performance and did you find it believable? I one hundred percent think it was way better than Piper’s reveal.

I saw on tumblr from @forgett-me-n0t a post about the pig’s heart. “Was it ever explained why there was a pig heart in Piper? (Like if Kieran was the killer and he loved Piper, why would he do that?)  
I think that’s a valid question. Again there still a lot of people that are disappointed we didn’t get all the questions wrapped up, but I have disagree. If we somehow get a third season what mystery would there be left if everything was answered?

(( I DON’T EXPECT YOU TO READ THIS ALOUD lol. Below is a list from another tumblr account @kindasimonish  
a few of the unanswered questions from this season  
•how did Kieran know that Jake would be at Wren Lake Estates?  
•how did Kieran have cameras everywhere?  
•how did Kieran text people from other peoples’ phones without directly using them?  
•how did Kieran call Emma while he was in the room with Noah/already on the phone with her?  
•why did Kieran bring Emma’s dad to Lakewood?  
•how did Kieran access Riley’s emails?  
•why was the Mayor going to burn down Wren Lake Estates?  
•why didn’t Kieran kill Eli when he had the chance?  
•why did Audrey really bring Piper to Lakewood?  
•how did Kieran’s mom and step-dad really die?  
•why did Kieran kill Eddie?  
•how did Stavo see Branson in the hotel room?  
•what was Eli doing outside Daisy’s childhood home?  
•why were there pictures of Emma at the farm?  
•why was this episode so disappointing??????

I then replied back with:  
Kieran being the killer knew how to hack into people’s phones so that answers a few of your questions. Kieran could’ve hacked Jake or Quinn’s phone to know he’d be at Wren Lake Estates.  
Kieran easily could’ve planted the go pros. It’s not a hard job to do.  
Again Kieran probably hacked their phones to text. I didn’t think it was possible to do that, but that’s something that’s been early of the show so we have to accept it. Or not haha  
I thought about that and it seems likely that him and Noah split up for a second.  
Kieran probs brought Kevin to Lakewood to mentally and emotionally torture Emma.  
Kieran/the killer is good with technology. We know this.  
It was suspected that Quinn wanted the insurance money from his property burning down.  
This was the question that haunted me the most, but I’m assuming because he wanted to build suspense and not kill Eli. Also Kieran is Eli’s number one hater so it Eli wound up dead Kieran would be the first person looked at.  
Audrey brought Piper to Lakewood to do the documentary on Brandon James. It was very clearly in the episode and I don’t understand why people don’t believe her. Hmm.  
I still think they were in a car crash, but maybe Kieran caused it so his dad could take care of him, which fell into his plan. Also I do think that Kieran and Eli were close in Atlanta before he met Piper and that’s why Eli said he thought Kieran being mean to him was a joke.  
I’m pretty sure Kieran killed Eddie to get a rise out of Audrey/creepy her out/scare her. Because after that she listened to him. Like it was a major point for Audrey not wanting to go to the cops the episode Noah was captured, because Audrey was sure something more terrible would happen. She even said he killed a hotel clerk to prove a point.  
Others have said this,, but I don’t know if Brooke actually told Stavo about Branson being handcuffed to the bed. She told him a lot because he helped her with the files and stuff. I don’t think it was hard to imagine cutting off his hand. Some have theorized that maybe it wasn’t the killer in the hotel room but Stavo who cut off Branson’s hand, but didn’t kill him.  
Eli was being creepy/protective. I honestly think he was making sure Maggie was okay and trying to protect Emma because he suspected Kieran.  
So this pig farm/troy james house/abandoned farm thing confuses me. If the pig farm was at Troy James’ house then I suppose that answer that. If it was Brandon that put the picture there then I can see him being interested in Emma. If it was Kieran then idk, but I think we’re lead to believe Maggie and Miguel hung out there or had some meet ups there.  
Okay. I get why people thought this episode was disappointing. Let me ask you what angle are you looking at this from? As a casual viewer or as an analytical tv watcher? If you watched it as a casual viewer then I understand not liking the finale because it was predictable to be Kieran and no one of consequence really died besides Eli (if you liked Eli). But if you watched it as an analytical tv watcher then you should be able to see the beauty in the episode. It was far better than season one finale for starters. The episode outside of the reveal was intriguing, fast paced, tense. A big worry that if Kieran was the killer could Amadeus deliver as the killer? And I think YES! He really did. I believe that he sold the performance a lot better than Piper did for one. He was a believable sociopath! He really did a great Billy Loomis and if you don’t konw who Billy Loomis is then I can see why you’re disappointed. Kieran’s performance was interesting and even if you already knew he was the killer it was still fun to watch. I suggest going back and rewatching the episode and really pay attention. Sidenote: I think it’s cool because now we have to look at Kieran’s scenes differently. Now we can appreciate that Kieran wasn’t in fact bland, but a really interesting character. :)

Then they went on to say that basically all of those answers were assumptions and not facts. I agree with them and I don’t know where I should stand with how much I like this finale.))  
THANKS AGAIN YALL FOR DOING THE PODCAST. I DON’T THINK YALL GET ENOUGH CREDIT AND APPRECIATION. THE PODCAST HAS REALLY GREAT CONTENT AND QUALITY ANALYSIS. I TRY TO TELL ALL OF THE SCREAM FANS I TALK TO TO CHECK YALL OUT :) Yall are definitely doing the Halloween specials right?

((For Olga: I totally named one of the minor characters in my Scream fanfiction after you :) Sorry Dan. I’ll try to add you into it! ))

 

AND HERE’S MY HALLOWEEN SPECIAL REVIEW: 

((In case yall forgot how to pronounce my name Da knee qua)) haha  
Hey yall! It’s Deniqua Frye (@Stavo’sBrooke on Twitter)

Kieran’s death in the beginning gave the impression the rest of the episode there would be some Brandon James headway. I could tell from the trailer for this special there wouldn’t be much, but I think a lot of fans hadn’t seen that or if they did they thought there still will be some movement with Brandon James, and maybe they were disappointed.

Not gonna lie, I didn’t care about Emma not wanting to go to college. It might’ve worked better if she couldn’t decide where she wanted to go instead of her not wanting to go. Like if she wanted to go to colleges out of the country or just across the country it might’ve tied in better with her decision at the end to stay in town.

Totally loved Noah not buying the Anna Hobbes story, I liked that he could detect bullshit horror stories now that he’s lived through a few.

Dan tweeted about Brooke only having relationship stuff, which I agree is really annoying! Love Brooke and Stavo, but Brooke really didn’t have anything to do in the special. She was kind of just there to be there.

I was glad that Audrey seemed over Emma. I still ship it, but if they’re not going there in the show I’m glad they made Audrey move on. I think the scene with Brooke, Audrey, and Emma was really fun and light hearted. We need more scenes like that with them joking.

Jeremy’s prank was by far the dumbest thing I’ve seen on the show, no Emma running up the stairs from Alex/Tom was far dumber. Hehe.

We need more Audrey, Noah, and Stavo trio scenes. I liked the Audrey and Stavo interaction when he invited her on the trip, it really showed how things have changed in the past eight months. It warmed my heart that they trusted each other.

I was a little confused why the “new” Brandon James killer followed them to the island if he didn’t actually kill anyone. Seems like a waste of his killer funds if you ask me.

Tom knew a lot about the house so how long had he been living there/how long had the real Alex been dead? Wouldn’t Billie have had seen Tom around the house or in town?

I can understand why a lot of people were so over the whole Gina being jealous of Emma trope, but I think it was a fair point because Audrey does put Emma first and what happened after their argument further proved that. But it didn’t seem like Audrey still liked Emma so we could’ve gone without that added plot. LOL that Audrey told Gina to stay like a dog.

The Stavo and Noah argument in the boat was really great. I liked that it was Noah’s survivor’s guilt that was the issue and not really writer’s block. Noah doesn’t strike me as a guy that has writer’s block because he speaks so fluently in his podcasts. Do you guys agree based on your experience? :)

It was really hilarious when Noah kept trying to open the bookcase and Brooke just pushed it open. I do like Noah’s version of the story better, but it was oddly convenient for the plot.  
Do yall think the person trying to kill Emma with the Anna Hobbes mask on was the Brandon James killer? If not it doesn’t make sense for Tom to try to kill her and that would be a quick outfit change - but doable.

The “Come out come out wherever you are” and “If I can’t have you no one can” cliche’s were tired, just because they pointed them out didn’t make them work. I really really loved Emma’s “I don’t need you.” speech. Whether people want to admit it or not she’s changed a lot since the pilot and I really like her now that she’s comfortable with who she is. However, I wouldn’t apply to Lakewood University (Shouldn’t it be Lakewood Community College or am I having a dumb moment? lol) if I were her, but I like that it signals she’s mentally safe in Murderville and is brave enough to stay put.

I don’t buy that Kevin Duval is the “new” Brandon James killer. He might’ve killed Kieran, which I’d love, but I don’t see a motive as to why he’d want to kill his daughter and mentally torture her. Could it be that Kevin isn’t Emma’s father but Brandon or even Troy James is?

Finally, I liked the Halloween special a lot! I think we need more of those two parter episodes instead of longer seasons if it means the show will work better for what it’s trying to do and if the audience appreciates it more. With this show it seems like less is more in terms of episodes.

And thanks Dan and Olga for taking the time out of your busy schedules to do this podcast and chat with us via Twitter. I’m relieved that we get more Screampod podcasts. The Scream Queens podcasts are funny (spoiler to audience: RIP Chad), but these Scream podcasts are my lovely slasher podcast home so I appreciate yall doing this. :) Have a spooky Halloween.

P.S. please warn your fanbase not to dress as clowns for Halloween. It won’t be funny, but dangerous and idiotic.

Sorry yall I forgot to add that the angles/shots of Noah and Emma seemed more intimate or alluding to something more romantic. I don't know if it's in my head or if I really ship it because it seems to be breaking like ten bro codes. I've seen others online ship them or question it. What are your thoughts on it? Does it work? Do we really need them together? And it's reminiscent of Randy and Sidney from the movies, but I don't think Randy and Sidney would've worked out romantically. Peace out!

A/N: So what do yall think? DM me or review/comment your thoughts on my thoughts lol. I do want to add that I hope the people that were disappointed in the killer reveal for both the finale and Halloween special didn’t jump on the bandwagon with the rest of the fandom because the reveals were too obvious. Have your own opinion about the ENTIRE finale not just the killer reveal. Think about how did you like the character development. Was the pacing of the episode good? Did you like the content? What emotions did it or didn’t it make you feel? Was the acting good/convincing? Did I get answers? Was the cliffhanger one I wanted to explore more? Did you feel like you’re time was wasted? These are the questions I ask myself before saying it sucked or I saw that coming so it was a terrible finale. Now is the time to start thinking more analytically (is that a thing haha). That’s why I like to get more details and jump into after shows/podcasts for all of the shows I watch whether it’s on StreamTV or AfterbuzzTV on YouTube or podcasts online. Again The couple that I sent these reviews to you can find them on Twitter at screampod and at olgiebolgie. They’re so cute, I ship them so much. They also do podcasts for Scream Queens, The 100, Girl Meets World and a few more I believe. :) Next chapter will be an actual chapter.


	17. Wicked Game

The song for this chapter is Ursine Vulpine ft Annaca - Wicked Game (there are so many great covers if this song including the original by Chris Isaak, but this cover was the only that I heard recently that made me get chills. There’s a bellarke fan vid to this song if you ship bellamy and clarke woot woot!) 

Sidenote: I’m not sure how yall are going to feel about this chapter or the direction I’m going, it’ll get worse before it gets better, but if you have any concerns or questions feel free to let me know through the comments, DM, or my social media. :) Thanks for reading!

“So,” Drew started as he watched the road. “Do you want to tell me what just happened?”   
I glanced at him, then looked back out of the window. “No, not really.”   
“Fair enough, but you already know that I’m a great listener. And I’m here for you if you need me.”   
I nodded, but continued to look out of the window as we drove around town. We stopped at a few clothing places, thought about going into a juice place, and went into the bike store. I was considering just getting a bike to drive myself around. I instantly grinned on the look on my dad’s face if I got a motorcycle like Stavo. He’d literally die of a heart attack.   
Drew talked me out of a funk, but I was still down because...Well...I had a reason to be dammit.   
He nudged me into a craft’s store. I didn’t think he was into things like this, but maybe he wanted to look for a sign to build for his MMA gym or something like that.  
I wandered around the store, a few things caught my eye. I wasn’t much into art, or rather I never tried to be because I didn’t think I’d be good at it. Part of me wanted to challenge myself like I did with my training because I actually started to become decent at it. What if Art was my calling and I missed out on it due to fear of failure? Once I really thought about it I shook my head. Nah, definitely not for me. But Stavo on the other hand. He was truly talented, he deserved for his art to be recognized and appreciated.   
So I picked up a few things like paints, brushes, pencils, more charcoal because I thought he was running low. I looked at the price for the blank canvases. Wow, they weren’t cheap. Well, I could afford them easily, but someone like Stavo living off his dad’s middle class income...it added up.   
After we left there with a few bags full of art supplies, we dipped into the juice bar afterall. I felt a little dehydrated and craved something green. We sat out on the outside patio as we waited for our juices. A light breeze ruffled our hair.   
“You bought some things, I know you feel better, so spill already,” He insisted.  
He was right. I did feel a lot better. Taking my mind off of the drama of it all for a while helped. And I guess I subconsciously decided to trust Stavo and his word. If he said he didn’t like Cage that way I had to believe him.   
Now her on the other hand was a different story. I totally bought that guys and girls could be friends, even if they’ve been friends since early childhood. But case in point, Jake and I. Even if we never dated I’d still know Jake had feelings for me. Therefore, more often than not guys and girls couldn’t remain just friends without feelings getting in the way. Look at Audrey and Noah. And it wasn’t like I was ragging on the idea, I just thought it to be impractical. Like a casual groups of friends, I could see them staying solely friends because they don’t hang out as much, but when you’re with a person most of the days out of the week for months and years they start to look like the most beautiful person to you. You start to love everything about them. Which is why Stavo and I could never be just friends even if we never officially got together.   
A sigh left me as I recollected my thoughts to talk to Drew. “So when I asked Cage to come here it was behind Stavo’s back. His dad agreed to it, but when he found out he wasn’t happy with me, which I understood given the circumstances. So we had that fight last night.”  
He nodded for me to keep going.   
“Then we go to pick Cage up and he’s not how I pictured him at all.”  
“How so?” He arched a brow.   
My eyes went to the side. “He’s a she for one.”  
He stilled. “What?”   
“I know. I mean, I get that I shouldn’t have assumed Cage was a boy, but Stavo should’ve told me. Just so we were clear.”   
He nodded in agreement. “Wow. So...now you’re thinking they had something going on if he didn’t tell you straightforward?”   
I shrugged. “Initially, I did. Now...” I grinned at the server who brought our drinks. “Thank you.” I turned back to Drew. “Now I just want to trust him when he says he doesn’t have those feelings for her. He’s never really lied to me before. He’s never really done anything that bad to make me distrust him besides leaving for a week. But he had one hell of an excuse for that so I don’t necessarily count that against him.” I offered a meek grin.   
He leaned forward in his seat. “Then maybe you should take your own advice. Let it go. Don’t be that girl, Brooke. It’ll only drive a wedge between you two.” He lifted an encouraging brow. “And if you ask me you two are stronger together than you are apart.”  
Taken aback, I gasped. “I thought you didn’t like him?”   
“No, it’s Stavo that doesn’t like me. I actually think he’s kind of a cool dude. He’s good for you. You’re not the same person I met at the diner. And I think he’s a huge part of that.”  
He definitely was. I still struggled with the idea that I didn’t affect him in the slightest, even though he assured me otherwise.  
“Well, I’m glad you agree on that because I made a deal with Stavo. I’d spend time with Cage, get to know her if Stavo did the same with you.”  
He took a sip of his orange drink. “I’m cool with that. When?”  
“Tonight. I’m going to have everyone over to meet her. So you better be there, loser.”   
He gave me the finger. “Don’t tell me what to do, Brookie.” He knew I absolutely hated when he called me that.   
This was our thing. We fell into a pattern of siblings. It was really kind of nice.  
“So this Cage,” He started. “Is she hot?”   
I threw a napkin at him.  
He caught it and laughed.   
When we returned home I flopped down on my mom’s bed. Luckily, my dad had left for work so this wouldn’t be awkward.   
She rolled over and pulled the covers from over her face. “Sweetie...what time is it?”   
“Like noon.”  
Her hand covered her face. “Really?”  
I nodded.   
“Okay, I’ll be up in a little bit.” She pulled the covers back down.   
I left and told myself if she didn’t wake up in an hour or so I’d go back in there to check on her. That’s what I did when the time rolled around and she hadn’t woken up yet.   
My eyes found the pill bottles on the night stand. I shook her awake. “Have you been taking your meds? You usually only sleep this much when you forget to take them.”  
She groaned. “No, I think I took a PM by mistake.”  
“How did you take a PM by mistake, Mom? It’s a completely different medicine bottle than prescription drugs.”   
She pointed to the pill bottles. “I had the Tylenol PM next to the Tylenol. Rookie mistake.”   
Despite the situation, I laughed. “Should I call Sidney? Just to be safe.”   
“No, it’s okay.” She met my eyes. She looked so tired. “I thought you were hanging out with Stavo and his friend today?”   
I bit my lip. “Yeah, I was. We’re going to do something here later if that’s okay?”  
She gave me a thumbs up. “Tell him that I’m disappointed in him. He shouldn’t have gone that long without contacting us.”   
“Why don’t you tell him yourself when he gets here tonight. I’m sure it would mean a lot to him to hear you yell at him.” I think we both knew that would be true. He severely lacked a mother figure.  
She nodded lazily. “Okay, honey.” She seemed to doze off so I tiptoed out.   
I went downstairs to start my training with Drew. Halfway through his phone rung for the fifth time.   
He finally answered. “Dad, is everything okay?” His brows knitted together in concern. “Is she at the hospital?”   
Worry rolled off of him and onto me. His mom had some heart issues, something that worried him more now that he was out of town. He didn’t have to tell me that his mom was his only connection left to his sister Casey, I could tell by how often they spoke. I told my dad about it and he made calls to get all of her hospital bills forwarded to his credit cards. Pretty generous, I know, but Drew had uprooted his life to help me protect mine. He lived here round the clock, he dropped his job. He was really giving us more than we were giving him.  
He nodded. “I’ll be there in an hour or so.” He hung up. He didn’t even look at me as he spoke. “My mom’s been admitted to the hospital. It may not be anything, but I don’t want to take that chance. I’m going to have to cancel my date with Stavo tonight, hope you understand.”  
My hand squeezed his shoulder. “Hey, that doesn’t even compare. Go see your mom. Take as much time as you’d like. I think I can survive a day or few without you.”   
He dropped his hand on top of mine, then met my gaze. “Thanks. For everything.”   
I offered a smile. “It’s not a problem at all. You’re like the brother I never had.”   
Unshed tears filled his eyes, then he quickly leaned down for a hug.   
“I’d offer to go with you, but it’s probably safer that I stay here.” I squeezed him back.   
“No, I understand.”   
He nodded. “Of course.” He pulled away and discreetly as he could wiped his eyes. “I’ll be back later tonight.”   
“Alright, take your time. Let us know how she is when you get there?”   
“I will.” He got into his truck and drove off.   
The rest of the evening consisted of doing my homework via Noah’s notes, sending out invites for tonight, and shopping at the grocery store with Officer Texas Ranger for said hang for tonight.   
He always walked with his hands shoved into his pockets like he was a cowboy or something. He nodded at everyone that looked his way. He said ‘ma’am’ when it was appropriate. When he noticed me staring he said, “Is there something on your mind, little lady?”   
“You have me wondering what romance novel you walked out of, Weary. You don’t have a special lady in your life?”  
He flashed his pearly whites. “I have a friend, but the force has that whole ‘Don’t ask don’t tell’ policy.”  
My eyes widened. “You’re gay?” I asked without thinking about it. I quickly looked around to luckily find the isle empty. “You never thought to tell me?”   
“What good would it do, Brooke? It doesn’t help me do my job any better.”   
He had a point.   
I got a few bags of chips. “Well, if you ever felt like talking about it or your partner I’m all ears.” I offered what I hoped was an encouraging smile.   
“Alright, I’ll take that into consideration. Talking to a sixteen year old about my love life is what I was missing.” He joked.   
I laughed. “See, you’re not as eye rollingly perfect as I thought you were.”  
He cracked a grin. “Because I’m gay?” He lowered his voice.   
“No, because you’re more normal than I thought.”   
He seemed to be okay with that as we pushed forward. 

By the time everyone had arrived my mom and dad had finished their dinner and were washing up their dishes.   
Stavo and Cage were the second people to arrive. I was glad Emma came early to help me calm down from my growing nerves. What if Cage didn’t like me? What if she told Stavo she thought I was a bitch? What if she wanted to go home because she hated me so much? Emma did her best to assure me.   
When I saw them standing in the doorway I couldn’t help but think they looked like a couple, but I slathered on a smile anyways. Trust Stavo, I repeated to myself. He’s never done anything to break your trust.   
“Hey!” She pushed forward to hug me.   
I did my best to not shy away. “Thank you for coming.” I told her.  
Stavo bent down to plant a kiss on my cheek. “Remember what you said earlier?” He said into my ear.   
I playfully shoved him away. “Yes, but Drew isn’t here. He had to go back home.” Sadness washed over me, but I tried to keep it at bay. “His mom’s in the hospital, she has heart problems.”   
His face hardened. “Sorry, I didn’t know.”   
A put on a grin. “Why don’t you make your way to the kitchen. My mom wants to have a few words with you.”   
His eyes filled with worry. “Shit.”   
I nodded in excitement. “Uh huh.”   
Emma and Cage were busy chatting over their drinks to notice we headed for the kitchen.   
The first thing my parents did was hug him because they hadn’t seem him when he was here yesterday. My mom hugged him the longest. I think they both needed that. When she pulled away she propped her hands on her hips and gave him a disappointed look only a mother could pull off. Damn, I’ve been on the receiving end of those looks and it wasn’t fun.  
“Have you lost your mind, Gustavo?” She demanded. “Is it where ever you were this past week? Cuz I have half a mind to beat some sense into you.”   
My dad had his arms folded across his chest. We exchanged a concerned look. She must be on her way to manic or just really worried, it was hard to tell.   
“What Monica is trying to say is we were all extremely worried about you in your absence.” My dad said calmly. “I mean, would it have killed you to pick a phone and say you were alive, son?” His face reddened like it did when he got upset. “You don’t just disappear like that when people care about you. Do you get that?”   
Stavo nodded, clearly not under the impression my parents would care that much whether he came back.   
“Now come here,” My mom instructed as she held her arms out for another hug.   
My dad joined in on their hug.   
It made my heart warm.  
They pulled away.   
“Thanks.” Stavo told them.   
“For what?” My dad asked.   
He gave a half grin. “For caring enough to yell at me. My dad didn’t yell at me when I got back.”  
I’d have to talk to Miguel in private because I was so over him believing his dad didn’t care about him. Miguel was about to get an ear full tomorrow.   
“We’re going to be upstairs watching a movie.” My mom told us. “Call us if you need us. Otherwise, don’t call us.”   
My dad blushed.   
My face scrunched up. “I’m going to pretend like I didn’t hear that.” I headed out of the kitchen with Stavo on my trail.   
“You’re going to make your effort tonight and I’ll make mine whenever Drew gets back.” He insisted.   
“Great,” I said nervously.   
The room had filled in our short absence. Thank God everyone else was here. I would be so awkward if it was just us four.   
“Where’s Zoe?” I asked Noah. “I invited her.”   
He nodded. “She had plans. It was too last minute for her. Family stuff.”   
She hadn’t mentioned any of that to me. Maybe we weren’t as close as I thought we were.   
After Cage got acquainted with everyone else I worked up the courage to pull her aside.  
“Hey,” She grinned.   
I looked down at my feet and sighed. “Look, I was really rude earlier. You just caught me by surprise. I hope you can forgive me so we can start over?” I gave a hopeful look.  
“No, we can’t.” She frowned.  
“What?” Fear ebbed in me.  
She cracked a grin, then shoved my shoulder. “Relax, I’m kidding dude.” She grabbed her belt loops. “Of course we can start over. I don’t half blame you. This was all on Stavo. He should’ve said something.”   
“Right?” I smiled at her. “I think I’m going to like you if you keep agreeing with me.”   
She laughed. “Well, the night’s still young.”  
I watched her out of the corner of my eye watch Stavo as he interacted with our friends. “You know, I’m not mad at Stavo anymore. I believe him when he said you were just friends.” I gave her a tight grin. “But I can’t shake the feelings that that’s just not true.” My brow arched. “How long have you been in love with him?”  
She stilled, then looked down at me with narrowed eyes. “How long have you?”   
“Touche, but I asked first.”   
Her black painted nails pushed her golden blonde hair back as she tried to level with me. “He doesn’t know. About any of this.”   
“Any of what?”   
She looked away, uncomfortable about the topic. “It was a few months after Angie died. Before that night he was just Stavo, my bro. You know. Then we had sex, really intimate and real sex, and he didn’t remember any of it. That night changed things for me, but not him.” She gave a sad grin.  
“You never told him?” I questioned.  
She shrugged. “What for? To ruin a perfectly great friendship? I know Stavo doesn’t see me that way. Hell, he thought I was Angie.” She cracked at a grin at me. “He definitely has a type.”   
I let out a laugh. “Yeah, he does.” I bit into my lip. “I know it’s really not any of my business, but maybe you should tell him.” The possibility hurt my heart, but Stavo wasn’t property. He had the right to choose whoever he wanted to be with, I prayed it was me.   
She scoffed. “Yeah right. It would ruin everything, besides I’m in the process of moving on. It’s going pretty well.” Her voice fell flat.  
“What if there’s a chance he feels the same way, but was too afraid to admit it?”   
She looked uncomfortable again, well it never really went away. “There’s not. Trust me, I’d know. I’m his best friend.”   
A fact I was painfully aware of.   
“Hey, you’re being really cool about this. Encouraging me and shit. Why?”   
My eyes landed on Stavo as he laughed at something Noah said. A smile found my face. “Because I want him to be genuinely happy. He deserves it after all he’s been through. Whether that’s with me, you, or some other blonde I want it for him.” I looked to her. “That’s why I wanted you here.”   
She gave an appreciative half grin. “Stavo’s lucky to have you. I know that’s something people say a lot, but it’s true.” Her eyes ran over me and I felt like how I did when we texted. “I can see why he’s in love with you.”   
“Just to clear this up between the two of us, when I thought you were a guy I kind of thought you were flirting with me.” I gave a sheepish grin. “You weren’t right?”  
A loud laugh came from her, one that surprised me. “Yeah, a little bit.”  
I nodded, but laughed anyway. “So you were just messing with me?”  
“Oh, totally. But you’re also pretty hot.” She winked.   
I immediately blushed because she was gorgeous.   
“And I was looking out for Stavo. Don’t want him getting involved with a two timing rich blonde chick. Sorry to put you in a box, I know you don’t like that.”   
My guess was that Stavo probably told her that, too.   
I shrugged. “Everyone does. They probably put you in that same box, too.”  
She leaned an elbow onto my shoulder like I was a prop for her to rest on. She was a good three inches taller than me. “That doesn’t bother me. As soon as people get to know me I know they see who I am underneath all of this.” She gestured to her body.   
A laugh came from me. I liked this more than I thought I would, which I was happy with. If it turned out I didn't like Cage then how would the three of us move forward?  
She turned to me. “Would you make him choose between us if he had to?”  
“I doubt Stavo would be okay with that. I wouldn’t be okay with that, not anymore.” My eyes went to him again. He listened as Audrey told him something that had him intrigued. “The most important thing for me right now is making sure he’s happy. If I could bring back Angie I would even if it meant I lost him.” I averted my eyes to the floor. “What about you?”   
She shook her head with a sad look in her eyes. “I already know what his answer would be. And I would lose.” Sadness rang in her voice.  
We locked eyes.   
“Impossible.” I assured her.  
“How can you be so sure?”   
“Because if Jake were still alive I’d chose him over Stavo if it came down to it. Jake’s been my closest friend since my braceface days so I know what Stavo would do. He’d chose you. And I’d let him.” I offered a friendly smile. “Oddly, I don’t think I’d have a problem with that because you seem like a pretty cool chick.”   
She grinned. “Thanks, back at you.” She took a sip of her drink. “So how’s your MMA training going? You think you can show me a thing or two?”   
I laughed. “Oh, absolutely.” I waved it off. “No, I don’t think I’m quite there yet. I really have Drew to thank for it.”  
She made a face at the mention of his name.   
“Let me guess, Stavo trash talked him to you?”   
“Totally. All I heard about for two weeks was Drew and Brooke this and Drew and Brooke that. I really must see this guy that made Stavo jealous out of his mind. Where’s he at?”   
I quickly scanned the room, then remembered he went home. “He had to drive back home to check on his mom. He’ll be back later tonight. He’s an alright dude. I just wish Stavo would see that. Honestly, I don’t know what to do to assure him I don’t want Drew. And he’s like seven years older than me.”   
“Which hasn’t stopped you before.” She said cheekily.  
Shocked, I gaped at her in amusement. “You know about Branson, too. You weren’t joking, you literally know everything about me.”   
She nodded.   
“So you said you were trying to move on. Do you have anyone special in your sights?”   
“Fuck no, dude. I just have my friends. Trust me, I get asked out a lot from both teams.” She sighed. “But I haven’t felt compelled to actually take anyone up on their offer.” She looked at me. “You know when you look at Stavo and you have that feeling in your chest, your stomach, and your everywhere when he smiles at you?”  
I nodded profusely.   
“I haven’t felt that since...him. And I don’t want to use someone else to move on. I want to have all of those feelings on my own.” She smiled. “I want magic, what you and Stavo have. It’s hard to come by, more so than people realize.”  
“Trust me, I know all about that. Maybe because I knew Jake for so long I didn’t have that with him. Branson was just a booty call. No one else mattered and that was okay for me. It wasn’t until this thing developed with Stavo that I realized what I was missing.” I gave her a look that conveyed how happy and scared I was. “What if I mess it up even more than I already have? He’s pretty forgiving, but there’s only so many times I can screw up and have it be slightly okay. Like bringing you here, I shouldn’t have done that behind his back.” I was sure I looked as guilty as I felt.  
She hit my shoulder. “Hey, if Stavo can’t see the good behind this then he’s an even bigger idiot that I thought.” She joked.  
I snorted a laugh. “Maybe, but he has a right to be mad. If something happens to you while you’re here then I know that’ll be the end of us.” I gave her a hopeful look. “So please don’t die.”   
“I can take care of myself,” She smirked. “Trust me, the killer doesn’t want to run up on me. I’ve been doing MMA since I was five. I could probably teach your Drew a few things.” Her confidence rolled off of her in spades.   
An idea popped into my head. “Maybe you could.” I said suggestively.  
She looked wary. “Oh no, don’t try to set me up with him. That would be awkward on so many levels. Besides, I have to hate him by association.”   
My eyebrows wiggled. “I won’t try to set you two up.” I’ll succeed.   
It wasn’t like they didn’t have MMA in common, something I knew was extremely important to the both of them. Cage was eighteen like Stavo, so if they did anything it would legal. Even if nothing happened between them I felt like Stavo would be more comfortable with Drew if Cage became friends with him, too.   
Her perfectly plucked eyebrow arched as her jaw clenched. “Dude,”   
I tried to hold in my laughter because she was almost like a female version of Stavo. “What? Whatever happens happens, right?” I grinned cheekily as I pulled her along towards the kitchen for a shot. “Pick your poison, Cage.”  
She picked Vodka.   
I poured two shots. We cheered, then threw them back.   
“Yup, I needed that.” She concurred.  
“Agreed.”  
I leaned closer. “Not to make things uncomfortable for you, but has he talked to you about our sex life?.”  
She made a disgusted face. “Hell no.”   
My lips pursed as I waited for her to give me the okay to breach the topic.   
She sighed. “Okay, fine. Vent about it, I guess.”  
Thank God!   
“We haven’t had sex yet,” I whispered. “It’s not me, it’s him. Trust me, I’ve tried to seduce him so many times. He’s warded me off plenty. I mean, he went down on me, damn if it wasn’t great. But I want more and he’s not letting up.”   
She snorted a laugh at my temper tantrum. “I get it. Did he give a reason?”  
They really hadn’t talked about this?  
“Yeah, he wants to wait until we’re like official or something prudish. We both love each other, what’s the big deal? It doesn’t have to be this special, big thing. I just want us to do it and move on.”  
She let out a sigh. “Well, if Stavo isn’t ready there isn’t much you can do.” She lowered her voice even more. “Coming from personal experience, you have to be sure yourself. Having that experience changes everything. Having him inside of you is a big deal, Brooke. You can’t unfeel that.”   
I nodded. “I know all of that. I just want him to grow a pair already.”  
She laughed. “You’ll be pleased in that department.”   
Excellent, but kind of gross considering that she knew that.  
She grinned. “Glad, this couldn’t be any more awkward. Let’s just keep this between us.”  
I nodded.   
We chatted some more when we joined the others. Occasionally, I’d glance up to find Stavo watching us with a pleased look on his face. I was beyond glad that I didn’t feel jealous of them anymore. No one wanted this to become that trope anymore than I did.   
It seemed like we’d all been moving forward happily. Noah and Zoe were on the brink of something new. Audrey didn’t have anyone special, but she seemed less uptight now that the murders had seemed to take a breath for a while. Kieran and Emma worked out their differences, I still wasn’t sure if Emma told Kieran about her feelings for Eli or if she still had them, but they seemed even more in love now than they did before. I couldn’t tell how Eli felt about anything really.   
Just to play Devil’s advocate, I pictured all of my murdered friends here trying to mingle with my new family. And I couldn’t. I’d love to think Nina, Tyler, and Will would work into our group, but they weren’t the greatest people. However, I could easily picture Riley and Jake back. Even so, how would they work with the new dynamic? If Riley were still alive would her and Noah be together? Where would Zoe come in? If Will were still alive how would Kieran fit into the equation? And if Jake were still here by my side I wouldn’t be the same person I was now. Stavo wouldn’t be enjoying himself across the room. Cage wouldn’t be sitting next to me giving me a concerned look. Everything would be different.  
“You went somewhere in your head,” She commented.  
For once, I felt content with how things played out. Sure, I wanted my friends to be alive, but I loved who I was becoming. I loved how things were given the circumstances.   
I gave a shrug. “I don’t know, I just think things were supposed to be like this.” I rested my head on the back of the couch and looked at her. “Stavo’s impacted me more than he’ll ever know. Maybe you and I are supposed to impact each other, too.”  
She smirked. “Don’t tempt a bisexual like that, Brooke. You’re too hot to play games with my heart.” She placed her hand over her chest jokingly.  
I giggled. “You know what I mean.”   
She nodded. “Yeah, I know what you mean. And I think Stavo was supposed to come here, be here for you and you for him. He’s different now.”  
My forehead creased in intrigue. “How so?”  
She glanced at him. “He’s happy, Brooke.” She started to smile. “Like I haven’t seen in a long time.”  
I wanted to ask the question, but couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud.   
“Even more so than with Angie,” She whispered the last part, knowing that’s what I wanted to know.  
My heart stuttered. “Really?”   
“Totally,” She cleared her throat. “Even if he isn’t ready to go down that road with you right now doesn’t mean he’s not already there. Trust me, I know what a happy Stavo looks like. I know what an in love Stavo looks like. And I know what rock bottom Stavo looks like. I see how he looks at you, especially when you’re not looking. It’s probably the hardest things I’ve had to witness here, but I think it’s good for me to see that he’s totally into you. Nothing or no one could change that.”  
It meant a whole lot if his best friend would confidently tell me all of this, but I still had my worries.   
“How do you know?” I whispered back.  
She gave me a knowing look. “You know by now that he doesn’t love freely. That kind of love is hard for him to express. He gets terrified and pulls away before he can get hurt again and I don’t blame him.”  
I nodded in agreement.   
“That whole week he was gone I had to convince him that running away was not the answer. If you heard his voice you would’ve known how scared he was of loving you. He was heartbroken that he left you, but for those few days he was convinced it was the best thing for you.”   
When she put it like that it was hard to hold onto any resentment that lingered for his hiatus. I loved him. And he maybe loved me in the same way, but I had to give him time to get there and accept it.   
I looked back at cage with even more respect. This whole thing for her had to be heartbreaking. Here she was in love with her best friend and she had to constantly listen about his relationship problems with another girl. She even encouraged him to be with me. Hella kudos to Cage.   
I surprised myself by hugging her. “Thank you.” I said into her ear.  
She hugged me back. “Just don’t break his heart or I’ll kill you.”   
I knew she wasn’t joking, but I still chuckled. “I’ll do my best.” 

 

After we had successfully bonded Stavo reached down and grabbed my hand, then pulled me toward the stairs.   
The room erupted in “Ohhh’s.”   
My eyes rolled. “Oh, eat a dick all of you.”   
“Somebody’s about to.” Audrey teased.  
Actually, I hadn’t done that and from how stiff Stavo’s back got I recognized that he had some opinions about it. I wondered if he thought about my pleasuring him often? He never asked me to do that for him. He never asked me to do a lot of things, but I still knew he wanted them.   
So when we ended up in my room I closed the door behind me and shoved him into it. His eyes livened up when I grabbed him by the belt loops and pulled him along to the bed.   
“Whatever you’re about to do we have guests downstairs.”  
I grinned. “Don’t act like that doesn’t turn you on more.”   
He crawled on top of me. “You’re trying to get pregnant, aren’t you? Lock me down forever.”   
One of my legs hooked around his back. “Would that work?” My lips worked their way up and down his neck. “Then I could really call you daddy and you wouldn’t be half as perverted.”   
He laughed. “You know what I think?” He flipped us over so that I straddled him. “You like to call me daddy, but you don’t want to admit you like it.”   
Did I secretly like it? I liked it with Branson, but I no longer had daddy issues, so what pleasure would I get out of calling Stavo daddy? I wasn’t one to kink shame. To each their own.  
“If it makes you happy then I’ll call you daddy.”   
He raised a brow. “What’s the catch?”   
“I want to go down on you.”   
He looked at me blankly. “Huh?” His voice cracked.  
My eyes rolled as I gruffed. “Stavo, I want to suck your cock,”   
His already hardon turned to cement underneath me.   
“Why do you tease me so much?”   
“No one’s teasing you, you prude. I, for one, have been waiting for you to throw me on my back and make love to me forever,” I humped him. “And over,” I trailed my mouth along his neck. “And over again.”   
“Believe me, I want to more than anything.”   
“But?” I stared into his eyes. “It’s not like we both don’t see this lasting a while. It’s not meaningless. I love you, you’re my best friend. When is that going to be enough?”   
He sighed softly. “There’s still some things that I need to figure out for myself.”   
I pointed to my chest and voiced the biggest insecurity in our relationship, at least on my end. “Am I not enough for you?”   
He looked shocked. “What? No.” He grabbed my hand. “That’s not it at all. I just want us to be sure. Once we do that there’s no going back.”  
“You’re being melodramatic.”  
He raised a brow. “Am I? You’re the most important in my life right now and taking that step is really huge. We aren’t done growing as individuals enough to be together, we both know it.” He brought his hand up to caress my face, his eyes gazed deeply into mine. “And once I feel what it’s like to be inside you, to make love to you, I won’t want to go back. Ever.”   
Same.  
I pouted. “But I want to be closer to you.”   
He cracked a dimpled smile. “I get it. Trust me, I do. But I respect what we have and what I want from us down the road more than an orgasm. I can do that by myself.”   
My hand snaked down to his pants and grabbed his erection. “But you don’t have to.” When he went move to take my hand away I rubbed it against him. “You made me feel amazing and it meant a lot, so let me make you feel good.” My eyes begged his. “Please.”   
He hesitated as I kept rubbing him. “We have to go back down to our friends.”  
“Our friends will be there after you cum.”   
He sighed, then rose.   
I mentally deflated when he headed for the door, but was surprised when he locked it, then headed back to the bed. “Somebody wants an orgasm.”   
He shushed me. “No matter how much your parents love me, they’d kill me if they knew what I was about to let you do.”  
Excitement filled me at the prospect of taking him to that peak and watching him come down from it.   
He stopped my hands on his pants. “Wait, are you sure about this? You don't have to do it for me because I did it for you.” His eyes searched mine.  
I grinned. “Trust me, I want to do this.” My eyes raked his body while my hands worked on his pants. “Besides I'm a little thirsty.” I teased.  
He cracked a grin that turned into a dimpled smile. “In that case, I think I can help you out.”   
A loud scream followed by ruckus stopped me in my tracks. Stavo and I locked eyes, then we immediately rushed for the stairs. We practically took two at a time to get to everyone. They were crowded in the den around a closet with horrified expressions.  
“What happ-” I faltered when I noticed the bloodied body.  
“Officer Weary,” Stavo commented as he pulled me to his side protectively, then looked frantically around the room.  
Two more officers rushed to the scene. Once they saw one of their men down they fanned out and called for backup.   
“Who did this?” Emma asked, obviously shook.  
Kieran rubbed her arm. “The killer is back from vacation it appears.”   
Eli smacked his chest. “Dude, she’s scared. Don’t say stuff like that.”   
Kieran shoved him back. “She’s my girlfriend and don’t tell me what to do.”   
Stavo and I shared a concerned look. I pulled out my cell phone just in time as it dinged.   
Unknown: I thought I’d return with presents.  
Unknown: Check his pockets.   
Unknown: Don’t say I never gave you anything, Brooke.  
Cage made her way over to us, clearly she didn’t fully believe the seriousness of the situation. Maybe in her mind the killings weren’t real and if she hadn’t witnessed one they didn’t happen. She hugged herself, her scared blue eyes looked to Stavo.   
“Brooke, are you okay?” Audrey asked.   
I put my phone in Stavo’s hands, then pushed through the crowd to kneel over the body. Officer Sweet Home Alabama was no more. Reluctantly, my hands roamed to his various pockets.  
“Uh, you’re not really supposed to touch the body.” Noah insisted. “Common sense 101. Your DNA’s all over him post-mortem.”   
I saw Audrey smack his shoulder out of the corner of my eye. “He’s her protective officer, you idiot. They’re not going to question her DNA being on him. Here’s some tact, have some.”  
My hands felt something hard in his coat pocket. I took it out. A scream clawed its way up my throat as I fell back and scrambled away from it.   
“Oh my God,” Emma remarked.  
“Is that a hand?” Cage asked, freaked out as she ran out of the room with her hand over her mouth.  
A distant ding drifted to my ears.  
Stavo helped me to my feet, then handed me my phone. “You might want to look at this.”   
Unknown: Download attachment  
It was a gif of someone getting their hand cut off over and over again. It wasn’t Officer Weary, he still had both hands. That’s when I realized who the person was. Seth Branson.  
Unknown: I lended you a hand now I expect one back when the time comes.  
The phone became too heavy for my hand. It made a distant clunk as it hit the floor, my mind ran a mile a minute. He was dead. Branson was dead. So was Weary.  
And it was all because of me. I wasn’t so powerful after all. All the kickboxing classes in the world couldn’t stop what the killer wanted to do.  
Who could do this? I wanted to know. Who could continuously murder innocent people just to get a reaction out of me? What did they get out of it?   
“Brooke?” Stavo shook me back to reality. “Talk to me,”   
I stared at him blankly. “I’m fine.”  
“Woah, not cool,” Eli held his fists up at someone.  
I turned to find Drew in the open doorway.  
He zeroed in on the dead body, then his eyes immediately found me. “Are you alright?”   
I rushed to him for a hug. My stomach tightened into a knot. “No,” I confessed because it was easier to express this to Drew. He knew what having a powerful body felt like when you didn’t have the power to control your life. It sucked and made you feel like all of your efforts were for not. That’s how I felt right now and no one else besides Drew could understand that.   
“You’re going to be okay,” He said into my hair, then pulled away and looked at me with fierce eyes. “Now’s the time to have that strength that I know is inside of you.” He pointed at my chest. “Remember what it felt like to be weak, remember how angry you were every time you hit that bag or the restless nights that seized you in fear.” His greenish blue eyes pierced mine. “Don’t let this pathetic psycho control you like this.”  
I immediately nodded because he was right. When I spotted Weary’s body it was like all the emotional progress I made had gone out the door. But if I were being honest, I was extremely glad it was Weary and not Loomis dead. I believed he had nothing to do with my mom and Stavo being kidnapped a few weeks ago, but I still didn’t trust him because he wouldn’t tell me what he had to do that was so important he bailed on us. Even so, part of me still remembered how nice it felt to have him around like a distant uncle or something.   
“You’re right.”   
Stavo spoke in Spanish to who I assumed was his dad on the phone.   
Audrey had Emma hugged to her side with a worried distant look on both their faces while Noah and Eli discussed how the killer could’ve gotten in the house to put Weary’s body in the closet without any of us seeing.   
I headed for the nearest downstairs bathroom because that’s where I assumed Cage was, but I found her in the kitchen crouched down in the corner by the sink. Her capable-looking hands pressed against her temples.   
Cautiously, I sat down beside her. “It’s a lot to take in.” I spoke so only the two of us heard. “Sickeningly enough, each body we find it becomes easier to digest. Even if we know the person.” My hand held hers reassuringly.   
She looked up at me with red rimmed eyes. “How is that even possible?”   
A sigh left me. “I lost five of my best friends including my boyfriend and Maggie. Believe me, it was surreal. Even today I still can’t quite wrap my head around it if I think about it for too long, but it did happen. And I did become another person because of it. Each of their deaths have shaped me into someone else.” I assessed her as my hand squeezed hers. “Just like Cotton Weary’s death will shape you into someone new.”   
Her free hand wiped at her tear stricken face. “I don’t want to be this new person. I want to still be me.” Her voice cracked just as new string of tears came.   
My heart broke seeing someone like Cage crack. She appeared to be so strong and confident, and happy with who she was. She apparently liked her life the way it was and no one could fault her for not wanting it to change. I was the one that brought her here to Lakewood, so it fell on me that she would forever would be changed by this event. Seeing a dead body fall out of a closet couldn’t be unseen. Ever.   
My other hand pushed her head onto my shoulder, then I rested my head on hers while I let her cry it out. Oddly, it was nice in a we are now blood sisters kind of way.   
“I’m sorry,” She apologized while she sniffled.  
“Don’t apologize for being upset.”   
Acosta came into the kitchen with his son on his trail. “Brooke, you okay?” Concern filled his voice.  
I nodded.  
Stavo came to Cage’s side. He helped her up, then took her into the other room.   
“Just worried about everyone,” I looked back to him. “How did this happen? Weary was supposed to be out of town today. Why was he targeted?”   
He pulled us aside in case anyone from the living room overheard. “Maybe the better question we should ask is why now?”  
My eyes went back to the living room. “He waited until Cage was here. Until Stavo was back and Drew was in town.” I looked to him. “Why?”   
“To send you a message. He or she can hurt the most important people in your life and in Stavo’s life.” He sighed as he had a thought. “Has Loomis contacted you?”   
I shook my head. “Not since last week when we met at GrindHouse for coffee. You’re not saying he has anything to do with this, are you?”  
“It’s too early to tell.” He placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “You’re going to be okay. I won’t let this psycho get you.”   
Tears clouded my eyes. “What about my friends? Or Stavo?” A tear dripped down my face. “You can’t promise that Sheriff.” I turned away with a steel cage around my heart.   
That’s what the killer wanted, right? For me to be so broken I couldn’t feel anything for anyone?   
The rest of the evening played out like it usually did. A flurry of questions, of sympathetic looks, of phone calls and sires. At some point I guess I zoned out because when I came to I was standing on Stavo’s front porch. I gasped as I looked around. How had I gotten here?  
My phone rung from my hand.  
The killer laughed in my ear. “Hello, Brooke.”   
“What do you want?” I asked with lackluster enthusiasm. “What could you possibly want now?”   
“For you to look under the mat.”  
“Huh?” I looked around for any sign of him.  
“The mat you’re standing on. There’s a house key under it.”  
My eyes went to the mat. I reached down and found a key like he said. Acosta wouldn’t be that stupid to leave a key in the most obvious place ever while he searched for the killer.  
He laughed again in my ear. “I had one made. Now go up to your boyfriend’s room and look under his mattress.”  
I sagged. “Why would I do that? So you could kill me?”   
“Oh, Brooke. Always believing the best in people. Well, joke’s on you. Not everyone’s who they seem to be.”   
My eyes rolled. “Enough with the riddles. Just tell me what you want.”   
“For you to know the truth about new beau.” He chuckled darkly. “Not so perfect after all.”   
My defenses rose. “What did you do?”  
“Go see for yourself.” He hung up.  
I blew out a heavy breath then unlocked the front door. The darkness did nothing to ease my blooming fear. It wasn’t like I knew this house like the back of my hand. I didn’t know where anything was. Not even a light switch. So I turned on my flashlight app and inspected the area.  
When I felt satisfied that the killer wasn’t going to pop out at me I hurried up the steps. Stavo’s room was back to it’s usually organized self. Nothing was out of place, only now I wondered why I never explored any of his things. If there was something under the mattress that looked bad then I knew the killer could’ve put it there. But what could be so bad that would make me think less of Stavo?  
Ready to get this over with I flipped the mattress up to find papers underneath it. I grabbed them then sat down on his bed. It was a police report from the Phoenix South Mountain Bureau. It dated a few months before Stavo and his dad got here. Blah blah blah something about an accident. Blah blah blah something about it being closed. Blah blah blah something about a gun going off. Wait. It said Stavo’s friend shot himself by accident and Stavo reportedly just sat by and drew him as he died.   
My phone rang which made me jump like ten feet in the air. It was Stavo.  
“Where are you, Brooke?” Stavo demanded. “Are you okay? Did he take you?”   
I still wasn’t sure how I got here so I went with, “I’m at your house.”  
“My house? Why?” He relayed the message to his dad. “Did he hurt you?”  
My eyes went back to the paper. “I think we need to talk.” I hung up.  
There were a few more papers that I figured were more about the police report, but I was so wrong. There was a paper stamped Larry F. Waldman, Ph.D., ABP Psychological Therapist. The words Angie’s death, Drunk driver, Restraining order, Stavo, and Snapped were underlined.   
My eyes widened. What the what? This Therapist thought Stavo had something to do with Angie’s death? There was no way.  
I looked back at the last page thinking how could it get any worse. Only it did. The paper was an email between Stavo and a comic book agency. I read over the few emails and stilled on the bed. I gaped while I reread the emails over and over to make sure this meant what I thought it meant.   
A giant sized hole formed in my chest.   
My phone went off.  
Unknown: Hurts like Hell doesn’t it?   
Yes. It did.   
How was it I spent so much time getting to know Stavo and I didn’t know any of those huge ordeals? A feeling of betrayal filled me to the brim as I stood on shaky legs. I tucked the papers under my arm except for the one from the Therapist. That one I put into my pocket. As I descended the stairs the police burst into the house. I paused where I was, deflated.   
Acosta came into view first, then his son. Both looked equally worried, but only one of them was a lying bastard.  
Stavo rushed to my side, but I backed away. He looked at me with curious eyes. “What’s wrong?”   
I looked down at the papers in my hand, then pressed them to his chest.  
“What is this?”   
I turned my back on him and ignored Acosta’s fear stricken face.  
“Brooke?” Stavo called after me. “I can explain.”  
Enough lies for one night. Enough lies for forever. I didn’t want to hear about how he creepily drew his friend dying or how the comic book agency wanted him to get close to the Lakewood Six and sketch a comic book for them. I didn’t want to hear any of it.  
I walked through their doorway with the biggest steal cage around my heart I could find.

 

A/N: So what did yall think? I set it up so there’s at least six possibilities for the killer(s) even if Brooke doesn’t see them as possibly the killer. Who do you think it is? Also please leave a review. Reviews make me write faster :) Have a nice Sunday. About to watch The Walking Dead in a little, gonna probs cry some more.   
P.S. Don’t write hate comments saying I killed off the only gay character because I literally just added that in last minute to give him character depth after I had already written his death scene. I’m 100% support of the LBGTQ community, my sister and mom are lesbians so I’m not subscribing to the bury your gays troupe (shoutout to CLEXA even though I never shipped it but BellarkeLovesClexa so no hate on that one). I do plan to have another fully gay or lesbian character excluding Audrey because even Audrey doesn’t know what her sexuality is, which is fine, but very confusing for me.


	18. I Don't Know You At All

The song for this chapter is Matthew Mayfield - I Don’t Know You At All

 

Zoe, Audrey, and Emma piled into my room for what they cleverly wanted to be an intervention, but disguised as a sleepover. Really, I didn’t blame them. It had been going on four days since I last spoke or saw Stavo. No one knew why and I planned to keep it that way. I was sure Miguel knew, he saw me shove those papers into his son’s chest after all. What I didn’t realize was that how accustomed my friends and family were to Stavo being around me constantly, so when he suddenly wasn’t it was a big deal.  
When I got home that night I was so out of it. My parents didn’t realize what had happened until after Miguel called them. Apparently, they snuck out like teenagers to go to the movies, which is why they didn’t come rushing downstairs when we all freaked out about Officer Cotton Weary’s body in the closet. I’m sure there was a joke meant for me in there that the killer wanted me to know; no one was safe, not even the lgbtq community. If my knowledge of Slashers were correct, gay people usually survived because it was a statement to kill them. Oh, how I wished the killer had upheld that tradition.   
The thing everyone wanted to know was why I had cut Stavo out of my life. The best I could come up with was I wanted to minimize our interaction because I wanted to protect him. How weak was I for still wanting to protect his lying, creepy, son of a bitch ass? Still, I couldn’t bring myself to make everyone hate him as much as I did at the moment.   
Audrey played with her new camera at my vanity, then pointed it at us with an excited grin. “Do something cool.”   
“Over here,” Zoe danced around my room with one of my Chanel bags on her arm while whatever 90’s alternative music Audrey played in the background. “Seriously, you have like ten of these just sitting in your closet.”   
Audrey recorded her. “Oh, that’s a sweet cat walk.”  
Emma nodded. “You kind of do.” She agreed as she texted on her phone.   
I waved it off. “You can have if it you want, Zo.”   
They all stopped to stare at me.   
“What?” I looked up from my maroon gel acrylic nails. “I’m in a giving mood. Do you two want one?” I looked at Emma and Audrey.   
Emma looked wary. “I mean, if you’re not going to use them I could take one off your hands.”   
Audrey looked grossed out. “No thanks.”   
“Are you sure about the purse?” Zoe flung herself on my bed. “I know you’re rich and all, but it’s still Chanel.”   
They surveyed me.  
I looked back at my nails. “Why don’t you guys ask me what you really want to ask me.”   
They all looked at me blankly.   
A sight left me. “Maybe I’m starting to realize that materialistic things don’t matter, not when you don’t have the one thing that matters.”   
Audrey pointed her camera at me. “You know, before this all started I never thought we’d be friends, Brooke.” She nodded. “You just weren’t my cup of tea. I thought you were vapid and shallow. Dumb, too. I judged you by what I thought I saw, but the truth was I didn’t see you then. Maybe you didn’t see yourself either, but I see you now...and I’m extremely grateful and proud to call you one of my best friends. A sister even.” She reddened a little. “I just wanted you to know that for whatever it’s worth.”   
It was worth a lot that Audrey thought so highly of me. She was so badass I felt intimidated by her at times. Her appraisal made me feel better.   
“Thanks, Audrey. That actually means a lot coming from you seeing as how I used to go along with your torment from Nina.” I gave an appreciative grin, but I knew it didn’t reach my eyes.   
Emma grabbed my hand. “Hey, let’s do something fun.” A big smile took control of her face. “We’re going to do a makeover.” She snapped her head around. “On Audrey.”   
Zoe and I looked at Audrey.   
She pointed the camera at Emma. “What?” She rose.   
I had to admit the thought was intriguing. Audrey wasn’t ugly by any means. I often found myself thinking if I were into girls I’d likely have a crush on her. Her look was grunge film geek badass. There was definitely room for improvement.  
“No way,” Audrey told us.   
Zoe bounced up and down. “Come on. It would be fun.”  
Audrey rolled her eyes. “You mean fun for your makeup-wearing, hair-twirling, dress-wearing girly girls.” She gestured to herself. “I don’t need any work done, I’m good.” She looked to me for assistance. “Right, Brooke?”   
I inspected her from head to toe. “Not bad, but a little home improvement wouldn’t kill you.”   
She shot me a grimace. “I take back everything nice I just said.”   
That prompted me to laugh. “In that case, you’re definitely getting the makeover.” I scooted off the bed.  
Zoe and Emma joined me as we circled around our prey.   
“Guys,” Audrey tried to wiggle her way out of this. “You don’t have to do this.”   
A smirk landed on my face.   
An hour later we worked our magic to it’s finest. Pride filled Emma, Zoe, and I as we stared back at our art.   
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.” Audrey groaned before she turned to one of my mirrors. “It’s only because you’ve been in-” She paused when she took herself in. “Woah.”   
“Woah as in good or woah as in bad?” Zoe asked cautiously with her new Chanel bag on her arm. I didn’t think she’d ever take it off again.  
We had styled Audrey’s black dyed hair so that it was messily curled upwards. I lined her eyes with heavy black eyeliner and mascara and threw in some penciling in her eyebrows. We tried on a few different necklaces and finally decided on a silver choker with x’s. It was decided to leave her lips with chapstick, she probably wouldn’t like it anyways. There was a white oversized tank I’d never worn because I wasn’t sure what I was thinking when I bought it online, but it said Le Lune Le Soleil around a sun and a moon. We topped that with an expensive black leather jacket that my mom wouldn’t wear anymore because it wasn’t vegan. I cared about the animals too, but damn. Audrey kept her ripped at the knee cap black high waisted jeans on because she’d always wear black jeans no matter what, along with her combat boots.   
This was her look. I’d be foolish to think we’d ever get Audrey in a flowery dress and heels. Maybe for my funeral.   
“I’m not sure yet.”   
Emma jumped up and down next to her. “You look amazing, Audrey. Still punk but more glam.”   
I nodded. “She’s right. That was a nice glow up.”   
She looked at us. “Do you think Cage would like it?”   
My mouth dropped. “You have a crush on Cage?”   
She pursed her mouth as her eyes drifted to the ceiling. “Not a crush. Just an interest.”   
Okay, how did I not see that coming? Maybe my plan to get Drew and Cage together blinded me. It was a stupid plan anyway, Cage would leave in a few...Actually I didn’t know how long she’d be here.   
She texted me that night I left Stavo’s house to make sure I was okay, which I appreciated.   
Cage: Hey, how u holding up?   
Me: Are you asking or is Stavo asking?   
Cage: :( I’m asking. Stavo doesn’t know I’m texting u. He doesn’t have to know everything.   
Me: In that case...I’m not alright. I wish I could go back and not know this or maybe I should I know. But it changes everything.  
Cage: What happened? What changes everything? Stavo’s barricaded himself in his room, probably working through this whole mess with his art.   
Me: It’s not my business to tell necessarily. He’ll tell you.   
Me: I’m sorry this had to happen when you finally got here, but I can’t see Stavo for a while. If I do I don’t know what will happen.   
Cage: That’s okay. I’ll stop by Stavoless to check up on u.   
Me: You don’t have to do that :)  
Cage: No, I want 2. U helped me when I was freaking out. I want 2 do the same 4 u.  
“Brooke?” Emma called me back to attention.   
I shook my head. “Yeah?”  
“Do you think Cage would be interested in Audrey?”   
I really thought about it. There interactions were minimal, they only met once. I got the feeling Cage wasn’t over Stavo as much as she let on, which I completely understood. Even if she was she witness a dead body fall out of a closet not even a full week ago. Her outlook on life had changed, she needed time to adjust to who that would make her.   
I gave a rueful grin. “Sorry, kiddo. I don’t think she’s there. She’s eighteen, her life is more about being an adult than in high school now. Who knows when she’ll go back to Phoenix.” I hated that I had to be the one to make that already cynical face sadden. “I’m sorry.”   
Audrey nodded. “No, I get it.”   
Zoe clapped her hands together. “Well, why don’t you get a Tinder?” She said suggestively in hopes to lighten the mood.   
Emma made a face. “Tinder, really? That’s a bad idea if there ever was one.”   
I surveyed Audrey, she considered it. “Why don’t we let Audrey decide what she wants to do.”  
She looked to me. “Oh, now you want to let me make my own choice?”  
I shrugged. “Some things you have to do on your own.”  
She scoffed. “So you all make me pretty and now you expect me to know what to do with it?”  
Emma placed her hand on Audrey’s arm. “You've always been pretty.”  
Audrey's brow rose. “Thanks, I guess.”  
“So there you go.” Zoe handed Audrey's phone to her. “It's all set up.”  
Audrey paled. “When did you steal my phone? And how did you figure out my passwords?”  
Zoe smirked. “Believe it or not, I do know how to hack.” She gave a cute little head bop.  
The look of disapproval on Audrey's face was hilarious.   
“So deleting this. Shit, I liked someone.” She jumped when her phone got a notification. “What’s that?”  
Emma patted her shoulder. “Ooh, you got a match.”  
She shoved her phone into Emma’s hands. “Well, I don’t want a match.”  
Zoe rolled her green eyes and went to work. “Let’s see.” She grabbed Audrey’s phone from Emma. “Gina McLane.” Her eyes lit up. “Wait, I know her. Not really, but I’ve seen her around school.”   
“Let me see,” I went to their side. “Redhead. Cute. Right Audrey?”   
She shrugged. “She’s probably just trolling me. It wouldn’t be the first time.”   
Emma gave a sympathetic look. “Hey, I’ve been there before. Don’t let that fear close you off to people. That’s what the killer wants.”   
“Or maybe not.” Zoe muttered under her breath.  
“What was that?” Emma asked.   
We all looked to her.   
She froze. “Nothing.” She gave a shaky laugh before she gathered her bag. “I actually just remembered I promised my family I’d do something with them tonight.”   
“Zo, it’s girls’ night!” I complained.  
She looked back at me with sympathetic eyes. “Raincheck?”   
I nodded with a sigh. “Sure.”   
She gave us all quick hugs before she left.  
Audrey focused on her phone for a few moments more before she pocketed it. “Let’s watch a movie or something.”   
We all tucked into my bed with a carton of ice cream between us. We watched Cabin In The Woods, while I didn’t really like it Audrey broke down why the film was so great, and I had to see her points. The ending wasn’t my favorite, but I could understand why it happened the way it did for the film it was trying to be. I guess, I respected it even though I didn’t like it. Kind of like Stavo.   
When they both left I decided to take a nice hot, oily bubble bath to soak the stress away. My friends were a nice distraction from the real Hell of my life. I didn’t want to play the whole woe is me card, but I was already there. I felt like a war of emotions raged on inside me and if I didn’t remain cool on the outside I’d crack and let the floodgates burst open. If I did that it wouldn’t be good for anybody. After everything we’d all been through it was a wonder that none of us were sociopath’s. Hell, I could be one for all I knew. To be fair, I didn’t know much about sociopaths or psychopaths, but I knew I could probably easily turn into one. There was no way I came out of this unscathed.  
When I came out of the bathroom I stilled at the sight of Stavo as he stood in the middle of the floor. My eyes widened. I tried to find my voice, but it wouldn’t come to me.   
He stepped toward me, but I retreated. “Brooke,” He grabbed my wrist as gently as possibly, but it still stung.  
I snatched it away from him and held it to my chest as if he burned me. “Get out.”   
His dark eyes gazed down at me sadly. “Please, let me explain. It’s been five days, Brooke. I gave you space, now let me talk.”   
My head shook. “No, I’m not ready for that.” I looked down at my feet. “You need to leave.”   
“I’m not going anywhere until you hear me out.” He planted himself firm in the middle of my room.   
“If you won’t leave then I’ll kick you out.” I looked him in the eye. “So just go.”   
His brow rose. “You can not shut me out like this. We’ve been through too much together for us to end it like this, Brooke. Give me five minutes and you’ll understand.” He begged.   
My arms folded across my chest protectively. “I can’t do that. Not yet.”   
He gruffed. “You know, every time you did something to piss me off I forgave you no questions asked. I deserve that in return after everything we’ve been through.”   
Something snapped inside me, the anger I kept at bay flooded into me. Him thinking I owed him anything at this point made me grit my teeth. Fed up, I walked over to my desk where I kept the Les Mills Combat workout program he gave me and I chucked it out of my window door he came through.  
“Brooke, really?” He asked in disbelief.  
I ignored him as I grabbed all of the hoodies and shirts he let me steal and threw them out like the trash they’d become.   
His hands grabbed my shoulders to calm me down.  
“Don’t touch me!” My hand struck him across the face hard. Tears pricked my eyes, but I tried to push them away as I rushed into my closet. I grabbed the bags of art supplies because they couldn’t stay here.   
“Come on, just talk to me.”   
I grabbed random items and chucked them at him.   
He ducked them of course, but bent to pick them up in surprise. “You bought me art supplies?” His eyes burned into mine when he stood.   
My cheeks grew wet with tears. “I don’t want you here.”   
“Brooke,” He neared me.  
Driven by the necessity for him to leave I pushed and shoved at his chest, but when I realized he didn’t budge it was because I didn’t want him to. No matter what my head said my heart still longed for him.   
A sob left me as I slid to the floor.   
He came down with me. “I’m so sorry, Brooklyn. I never meant for any of this to happen. You have to believe me.”  
No, I didn’t.   
I shook my head. “Please,” I begged him in between crying. “Just leave.” Heartbreak wracked through my body. When he hadn’t budged, I added, “Stavo, please.” I was painfully aware of how weak my voice came across.   
“I’m sorry, I can’t.” He sat in front of me, his hand grabbed mine. “I can’t leave with things between us like this.”   
My breath faltered at the feel of his strong warm hand around mine. My head shook. I couldn’t be weak no matter how much my body wanted to crawl into his lap and let him comfort me.   
I slowly pulled my hand away. “You lied to me. About everything.”  
“I know.” He pulled out the papers from his coat pocket. He handed me one of the two. “These email exchanges were about my drawing a comic on the Lakewood Six.” He sighed.   
My teary eyes focused in on the paper.  
“I talked to a few places about potential internships when I graduated in case I screwed up again and my dad wouldn’t pay for my college. Out of all the inquiries I got one maybe back. One that seemed impressed by my work. So when I told him I moved to Lakewood, he didn’t just want the story of Murderville, he wanted the story on all of you guys. I agreed.”   
Angered, I crumbled the paper in my hand and threw it at his chest.  
“Then someone started killing again and I became a part of the story. When we were attacked the story changed for me and I felt compelled to keep drawing it. Someone had to tell it the way it really happened.”   
I met his eyes. “You used me. For a story.”  
His head shook. “No, it wasn’t like that. Maybe in the beginning when I observed you, but then I got to know you more. I convinced myself I wanted to spend more time with you for the comic, but whenever we spent time together it was the furthest thing from my mind. That day you invited me to sit with your friends at lunch was the day I stopped working on it.” He handed me back the paper after he straightened it out. “Here’s the date of the emails.” He reached into his pocket for his phone. “And this was the last email I sent the agency.”   
It read: Stew, things have changed for me here. The killings have picked back up and my dad is investigating it. Hopefully it will be over soon. Even if it is I’m far too emotionally invested with this group of people. One in particular I’ve found a friend in. I can’t continue this issue. If you’d like someone else to tell their story that’s fine by me, but I can’t lie to their faces about this. Especially not hers. I hope to be able to work together in the future, just not on this. - Stavo  
That was dated around the same time we became friends.  
“Okay.” I handed his phone back to him. “That explains one of the three terrible things you’ve done.”   
His brow rose. “Three?” Worry crossed his face. “What else could I have done?”   
Crap. He didn’t know about the Therapist notes I took. So he really didn’t put those papers there? I wasn’t sure why I held the Angie theory back from him, but I did.  
“I mean two. Now try to explain the other one.”   
He looked off to the side. “He was my friend. One night we found it on the side of the road, picked it up. He goofed off with it for a while. I wasn’t scared by it because I knew how to use it, my dad was a cop. But Charlie never held on before. He didn’t know how sensitive it would be. So he shot himself before I could stop it.” His jaw clenched while tears watered his eyes. “I couldn’t save him. So I did the best I could to immortalize him.” He looked back at me with painful eyes. “I drew him.” He gave a sad grin. “That’s the thing that no one understands, not even my dad which is why he doesn’t understand my art. I don’t talk about it, I draw it. Until you happened to me and I revealed things to you that I never thought I would to anybody else.”  
This was a lot to take in. There was a lot of new info I obviously didn’t know because I jumped to conclusions. Given the circumstances, I had the right to make those assumptions. But now I felt bad for pushing Stavo away.   
“Everything else I told you was the truth. Please believe me.”  
I nodded. “I do.”  
“But...”  
There was always a but and I knew what ours was this time.  
“But I don’t trust you anymore.”  
He nodded. “As to be expected. I deserve that.”  
I sighed. “I don't want to not trust you, Stavo but you didn't just break my trust. You broke my heart.”  
He looked me deep in the eyes. “I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. I never wanted you to get hurt because of me.”   
I believed that.   
“So where do we go from here?” He asked.  
Who was he to me now? Not my best friend. Not my maybe boyfriend. Not a potential love of my life. I didn't trust him. Hell, I didn't even know if he did in fact haf something to do with Angie’s death.   
But I still had a big hole in my chest where he used to be. I shrugged. “I don't know.”  
There was nothing more to say between us. We were forever changed.   
When he left I was still upset. You don't know people after all. And it turned out I didn't know Stavo at all.   
My phone dinged from my dresser.   
Unknown: I've got a job for you...if you want to make Stavo pay?  
It was a full five minutes before I finally decided to answer.  
Me: I'm in

 

A/N: so I have three jobs now and finding it harder to find time to write. In my free time I don't feel compelled to update this because I'm not getting reviews. I really appreciate all the fans I talk to on social media that give me their feedback. However, I’m not inclined to keep writing if I don’t get more feedback. I hate making these announcements because I don’t want to sound like a bitch, but I need more feedback guys. If you think someone else will do it you’re probably wrong. If I keep writing chapters without a good amount of feedback I will stop writing this fic. I hate doing that with my fics, but I do have other things going on in my life that I don’t do to write these chapters. I’ve stayed in on weekends from hanging out with my friends to continuously write longer chapters for you guys with little to no feedback. I’m aware this is the only brostavo multi fanfiction so if you want to see it continued then I need more reviews please. I don’t need ten reviews saying update more, please update, or i loved it. I need more constructive criticism than that. I’d love suggestions, I’d love to hear what you think I’m doing wrong or right, or what you think would’ve been better instead of something I did. Thanks for reading yall 

 

P.S. Going to a Tegan and Sara concert tomorrow in Richmond so expect future chapter titles to be songs from them haha


	19. Fic Update/Co-Write?

So here's the deal guys: I'm trying not to give up on this fic and I haven't. I've planned out the next chapter and just haven't written it yet. I did resume a Teen Wolf/Scalia(ScottXMalia) fic I started a few months back but never updated. I've been getting consistent reviews for that when I updated so that motivated me to write more chapters for that instead of this. Thank you to the one guest who has been giving me TONS of suggestions I really do appreciate it, and I'd like to chat with you, but you don't have an account so I can't DM you back. I don't expect everyone to leave a review, that's just asking too much and unrealistic. But I meant what I said. I do want more reviews. If I don't get them I'm less likely to update and work on other fics that people give me feedback on. Like I've said before, I'm a writer so this is important to me, I'm not just trying to toot my own horn here.

Also I'm not trying to single out the person that keeps leaving the guest reviews because I really do appreciate them for taking the time to think of things for me, but don't leave reviews like this: "At least u are getting suggestions and a few reviews and nothing. I promise to review the next chapter"

THE QUICKEST WAY TO MAKE ANYONE WHO UPLOADS ANY CONTENT FOR PEOPLE TO ENJOY TO STOP UPLOADING OR UPLOAD LESS FREQUENTLY IS TO DEMAND MORE CONTENT AND BE SASSY WHEN THEY DO IT. Now I know the guest reviewer didn't have this intention, but that's how it comes across.

So I will update when I feel inclined to. I know this is the only multichapter Brostavo fic - at least that I've found - and people rely on this fic, but if you appreciate this fic then leaving a review shouldn't be that hard. At the moment, I'm focusing my free time on writing my Scalia fic: Whenever You're Ready. If you like Scott and Malia then I'd hope you'd give that fic a chance. I apologize if this comes across as rude, it's not meant to be. I just don't want to waste hours upon hours writing something that people don't appreciate enough to review.

I'd also be open to someone wanting to co-write this with me. Being that it's my fic I'd have final say on the content and upload because I know not everyone writes the same or has the same vision for this fic as me, but I'd be open to co-writing. :) If you are interested in that shoot me a DM or hit me up on my social media. I'd like if you had some experience in writing/are interested in English/have a passion in writing so that your writing isn't amateur. But don't let that dissuade you if you'd like to co-write with me. I'm not an expert or anything, obviously, but having taken multiple college level writing workshops I'd have more experience and criticism to offer if you'd like me to help you get into writing or if you'd like me to read something of yours :)


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